I Will Remember You Eventually
by Katarina Isabella
Summary: Bella and Edward have been madly in love for eight years, when all of a sudden Edward gets into a life-altering car crash. What will Bella do to get Edward to remember her, along with his life for the past nine years? All Human, ExB.
1. Accident

**A/N:**

**Disclaimer: Twilight and all of its characters belong to the amazing Stephenie Meyer, not me. That would be great, though.  
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**So here's the first chapter of my story. This is my first attempt at fan fiction, so don't be too harsh =]. Reviews and advice are welcome.**

**- Kathryn**

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**BPOV**

I rushed down the immaculate white hall of the quiet hospital, the only sound being my black Louboutins clicking against the linoleum. I couldn't think, couldn't process a single thing that I had been told in the last thirty minutes. All I knew was that Edward was in an accident, and in ICU. I dropped my cell before I could hear the rest of the familiar doctor's words. Nothing else mattered. My Edward was hurt, and there was nothing I could do about it.

I finally reached the end of the hall, where his room was supposed to be. I came to a screeching halt, making sure not to fall flat on my face. I turned to look through the window to see into the room, and my heart skipped a beat. I was met with an unconscious, bandaged and battered Edward. Momentarily restarting my heart, I pushed my way through the door and collapsed next to the bed.

I couldn't believe this was happening. Everything was supposed to be perfect. He was supposed to propose so we could live happily ever after. What if he wasn't going to make it? I couldn't even think like that, because I knew that without Edward, life didn't exist. We had been in love since the second our eyes met eight years ago in biology class. Why we hadn't married yet was my fault. He had been begging me since we were eighteen, but I just didn't want to be that girl. I wanted to wait to be older. But now I might never get the chance.

Just as I started to think morbid thoughts, I was interrupted by a nurse coming into the room. I looked up, and she was looking at me with a kind expression on her face.

"Where's Carlisle?" I sobbed, wanting to be reassured by my second father.

"He'll be here shortly sweetie, just finishing up with another patient. Why don't you sit in that chair?" she pointed to the wooden chair next to the bed, "it might be more comfortable than the floor."

I mustered up all of my pathetic strength to pull myself to the chair before flopping over again. Without Edward, I didn't have the energy to try. I stared at his scraped up face and grabbed his hand for reassurance. He was still warm.

"Is he...going to be okay?" I held my breath for the nurse's answer.

"According to all his vitals, he should be able to pull through with flying colors. He had some slight brain damage, hopefully nothing that will have lasting effects, and shattered the bone in his left leg. Besides that, just some bumps and scrapes." She gave me a weak smile, and I felt like throwing up. Brain damage?! She continued, "he's probably going to need extensive physical therapy to get that leg back to normal–."

She was cut off by Carlisle coming into the room.

"Bella! Thank god you're here. How are you?" He looked almost as heart broken as I was feeling.

"I'm...okay, Carlisle. Thanks. What happed?" I couldn't articulate much more than that.

"He was driving to the restaurant to meet you and was hit by a drunk driver from the driver's side of the car." Carlisle's voice wavered a little, giving away his distress, "did Charlotte fill you in on his condition?" I nodded my head, cringing at the thought of the love of my life with brain damage. I couldn't begin to imagine what was going on in his head right now.

"Is he going to be okay? I can't even imagine..." I trailed off, not wanting to voice my fears.

"I think so. But Bella, there is one thing I should tell you."

My head shot up. "What?"

"His brain damage may be a little more severe than we initially thought, but we're going to have to wait until he wakes up to tell."

"How long could that take?"

"My guess is that he'll start coming around tomorrow. In the mean time, you should go home and get some rest."

"I have to stay, Carlisle." There was no way I was leaving my Edward here by himself, awake or asleep. I could barely stand to be away from him on a normal day. This was torture.

Carlisle nodded his head and started walking towards the hall. "I'll be here on the night shift if you need anything Bella. The rest of the family should be here in the morning." He flipped off the lights and left.

Now that I was alone, there was no way I could distract myself from the tearing pain in my chest. I felt so unbelievably helpless, just sitting here watching Edward looking peaceful in his naive sleep. Even with scrapes and bruises forming, he was still as beautiful as ever. His smooth pale skin almost glowed in the dark of the room, and his disheveled bronze hair stuck up in every which way. I lifted my fingers up to his closed eyelid to run them down a little gash. I wanted him to open his eyes so I could see the beautiful emerald sparkle and know that everything was okay. I dragged my hand to his slightly parted full lips and traced them with my fingers. I could feel his hot breath against my skin as I moved my hand down to cup his warm cheek.

Sitting there, I imagined how this night should have gone. He was supposed to meet me at Le Nuit, this new fancy French restaurant in downtown Seattle, and (according to Alice) he was supposed to propose, and then we would race back to our tiny apartment to make love into the morning. But none of that happened.

I had just gotten to Le Nuit and was sitting down at our table, smoothing down my hair and silky black dress, when my cell phone rang. I picked up the phone to hear Carlisle's panicky voice, and all I heard was Edward, accident, and ICU before my phone slipped out of my hand in shock. I recovered quickly and raced to get a cab. The last hour of my life was such a blur, and now I was here, in the hospital, begging the love of my life to wake up.

I moved my hand to his, closed my eyes, and the next thing I knew, it was morning and the entire family was walking into the room.

It was silent, and lifting my head, I could see that everyone looked just as worried as I'm sure I did. Alice ran over to give me a big hug, and I couldn't help the tears from freely streaming down my face.

"Oh, Bella. I just know he's going to be okay." She smiled at me, but it didn't reach her eyes.

"How could you possibly know that?" I groaned, shoving my face into my hands.

"Bella, you know not to bet against Alice," Emmet chuckled from the door.

Esme came over and put her hand on my shoulder. "How long have you been sitting here, sweetie?"

"Since last night, I guess," I grumbled, realizing that I probably looked like a complete mess. I smiled as I thought about how much the Cullen family cared for me and loved me. I had become a part of their family over the years, spending more time with them than at home with Charlie. I knew that no matter what happened, nothing would change between us all. I stood up, deciding it was time to make a trip to the bathroom. "I'll be right back," I said as I got up and walked out of the sad room.

In the bathroom, I looked in the mirror to see that my eyes were red and puffy, and I had dark circles forming under them. I pulled my immaculate brown hair into a pony tail and splashed my face with cold water. A couple minutes later, I decided that I looked presentable enough, and made my way back to Edward's room. Hopefully he would be awake soon. I couldn't stand to see him like this anymore. It was unbearable, and I didn't think I would be able to handle it much longer.

**EPOV**

"When he wakes up I'm going to have to run a few more tests, especially on his brain and central nervous system." I heard Carlisle say.

What? Who are they talking about? Wait a second, where am I? I couldn't smell anything in particular, just clean air. Almost too clean. My mouth felt dry, like I hadn't had water in days. I slowly opened my eyes to see a bright light shining down on my face.

"Argh!" I flew my arms up to my eyes to block the light, but then quickly lowered them when a searing pain shot through my muscles. Ouch. What the fuck?

"He's awake!" I heard Alice squeal from somewhere to my right. I refused to open my eyes again to see where I was.

"Where am I?" I croaked, sounding more bullfrog than human.

"You're in the hospital, Edward. Do you remember what happened?" Carlisle sounded relieved. And no, I didn't remember.

"Not really...what happened?" I was mentally crossing my fingers that I'd be able to move when I finally got out of this hospital.

"You were on your way to meet Bella when you got hit by a drunk driver," Carlisle sighed.

Bella? Who's Bella? I was searching my brain for any Bella's that I knew. "Who's Bella?" I asked. I heard Alice gasp, and then silence. "What? Am I missing something? What really happened, guys? Are you just trying to mess with me?"

More silence.

Okay, that was it. I decided I had to open my eyes. When I did, I was met with six pairs of eyes, all wide open in shock.

"Edward, I really think we should run some tests now," Carlisle said hurriedly. His eyes were darting around, searching for something? He looked sort of...old. Tired, maybe?

"How old are you?" I heard Esme squeak out.

"Sixteen." What sort of question is that?

"Edward, you're twenty five."

"Um, are you okay mom? My birthday was a week ago..."

Just then, as I started to get frustrated, the most beautiful woman I had ever seen walked into the room. When she saw me, her eyes lit up, but she said nothing and just stood there. She had creamy pale skin, like porcelain, shiny long brown hair tied on top of her head, and big, gorgeous milk chocolate eyes. Her lips were full and pink, and her cheeks had a slight red stain to them. She was wearing a knee length black silk dress, clinging to her body in all the right places, and black patent leather high heels. She could have been a super model, except that she was probably too short. Who was this beautiful girl?

"Bella, there you are," I heard Alice say, her voice flooding with relief. So this was Bella. Why couldn't I remember who she was? I obviously knew her, if I was going to meet her at a restaurant. Come on, brain. Think. Bella.

"Can I talk to you for a sec?" Alice asked, facing the girl named Bella.

"Sure," she said. Her voice was like music. They left the room, and I focused my attention on Carlisle and Esme.

"What are we going to do?" Esme whispered to Carlisle. She looked old, too. Where have I _been_?

Carlisle responded, "I'm not sure yet. I guess just slowly reintroduce him to his life..." His voice trailed off as he noticed me watching them. "Edward, do you know what year it is?"

"Sure, it's 2001." What's with all the questions?

Silence.

"What?"

"Well, Edward, sweetie. It's 2010," Esme responded.

"You're lying! Stop playing jokes on me." I was really starting to get pissed off.

"Edward, she's not joking. Today is May 13th, 2010. Look." Carlisle held up the newspaper so I could see the date. May 13th, 2010. My stomach sunk to the floor. Why couldn't I remember nine years of my life?

"Have I been in a coma for nine years?!" I asked, panicking.

"No, you got into the accident last night. I think..." Carlisle trailed off, "I think you might have severe Amnesia, Edward. What's the last thing you remember?"

I thought for a second. Actually, I couldn't really remember anything. I felt like I had a black hole in my brain. The last thing I could remember was getting asked to junior prom by Jessica Stanley, and telling her no. The last image in my head is her face, looking disappointed. What a terrible image to have. Jessica was NOT the kind of girl I wanted to associate myself with. What else could I remember? Sitting in my trig class, zoning out as Mr. Mero droned on about god knows what.

"I don't remember anything except school."

"What school?" Esme asked.

"Forks, duh. What other school?"

"Well, you went to Dartmouth for four years, and then Harvard for grad school. Do you remember any of that?" Dartmouth? Harvard? Those are fantastic schools. I went there?

"Not really..."

I saw horror and sadness flash across Esme's face, and I just wanted to punch something. Why couldn't I remember my life? What did I do now? Who was that gorgeous girl Bella?

"Edward, we'll be right back. Try not to move around. Do you need any pain killers or anything?" Carlisle asked.

"No, I'm fine, thanks," I grumbled.

I guess that explains why everyone looks so old. And I'm...twenty five. And I can't remember a single thing about my life.

Just as I was drifting back to sleep, I heard footsteps in my room. Alice and that girl, no woman, Bella were here. I looked at their faces, and they looked...really sad. Especially Bella. She looked like someone had just died. Now that I looked more closely at her, she also looked exhausted, like she had been sitting in the hospital crying all night. How do I know her?

Alice came over to me and grabbed my hand. "Um, Edward. There's something I think you need to know." I didn't say anything. "Do you have any idea who Bella is?" She gestured towards to beautiful woman in the doorway.

I shook my head, feeling frustrated as ever. I looked up at Bella, to see tears streaming down her face. I had and odd urge to hold her in my arms and tell her that everything was going to be alright. She just looked so torn up.

Alice continued, "Bella is your...girlfriend. I guess that's the best word for it, although you two have been in love for eight years. She moved to Forks our senior year of high school. You told me you were going to propose to her last night."

Fuck. If this girl was as important to me as Alice made her sound, why couldn't I remember her? We're probably madly in love with each other, but all she is to me is a stranger.

I heard Bella clear her throat, and looked up. She looked like she wanted to say something, but instead walked over to stand next to me. She really was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. Alice got up and left the room, while Bella sat in the chair next to my bed. She was looking me in the eyes, like she knew me better than anyone else. Hell, she probably did.

I had to say something. "I'm sorry." I didn't know what else I could say.

"It's okay, you hit your head. Carlisle told me this could happen, but I didn't realize that you wouldn't even...know me." She frowned, and I could see tears shining around her eyes.

"I...don't know what to say," I whispered, feeling terrible for making this woman so sad.

"I understand...I know you don't know who I am, so this may sound weird, but I love you so much, Edward. You mean the world to me." When she said that, tears started flowing down her face, so I took her hand. It felt like the right thing to do. It also just felt right. My body obviously knew Bella. My hand tingled when she wrapped her little fingers around mine. Why couldn't my brain know her? All of a sudden, I really felt like crying. The weight of this situation was finally pressing down on me, and I couldn't do anything about it.

"So, we met in high school?" I asked, not really knowing what else there was to say.

She nodded. "Yeah. We had biology together. We were lab partners. I fell in love with you the minute you spoke. And you told me you did the same..." She whispered. I could tell that she didn't trust her voice to be loud– it was shaky. "Is there anything I can do for you?" she asked.

"No, thank you."

"Are you in pain?"

I tried bending my ankle, and grimaced. "A bit. But only when I try to move."

She took her hand from mine and grazed her fingers up and down my arm. She left a trail of warmth and electricity. My body definitely knew Bella. When would my brain catch up?

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**Let me know what you think! Hopefully I'll have my second chapter up in the next few days. School is kind of crazy, so we'll see. Thanks for reading!**


	2. Lost

**A/N: Thanks so much to everyone who read my first chapter! This is my first attempt at fan fiction, and one of the longest stories I've ever written. **

**Disclaimer: Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer, etc**

**Enjoy Chapter 2!**

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**BPOV**

Fuck. Fuck!

When Alice told me that Edward had Amnesia and couldn't remember me, I laughed. I thought she was joking. But when I walked into his hospital room and saw the look on his face when he first saw me, I knew it was true. He was looking at me like I was a complete stranger, not like I was the girl he was madly in love with. When Alice asked Edward if he knew who I was and he shook his head, I thought I was going to die.

How could he not remember me? I felt so desperate, I felt like I was falling down a never-ending hole in the floor. Edward, the love of my life, the one part of my life that I could never live without, the man that means everything to me, cannot remember who I am. I couldn't even begin to imagine what he must feel like, not knowing anything about the last nine years of his life. When he talked to me, I could barely answer. He wasn't the same Edward. And I was nobody.

How could I possibly talk to him and not break down? The last eight years of my life have been engraved into my brain permanently; there isn't a single moment of our relationship that I wouldn't be able to remember. But Edward didn't even know me. Was I supposed to try to make him remember? And how would I do that, anyways? Have sex with him? I highly doubt that conversation would go over well. "_Hey, Edward, how about we have sex to see if that helps you remember me?"... "I don't even know you..."_ Right. That wont be happening.

"Bella?" Edward slowly said my name from beside me.

"Hmm?" I asked absentmindedly, before realizing that I was still stroking his arm. I immediately froze.

He chuckled from the bed. My favorite sound. "Please, don't stop. I..." he hesitated.

"You..."

"I feel like my body knows you. When you touch me, I mean. I can feel the electricity." He blushed, obviously a little embarrassed saying this to a stranger.

I smiled at him, not really knowing what to say at the moment. I wanted him to wrap his arms around me and kiss me and never let me go. I was so desperate to get my Edward back.

"Can I ask you some questions?"

I shrugged. "Go ahead."

"How close were...are...we?"

I looked up at him and saw that he had a sad look in his eyes. How could I possibly put into words our relationship? "Closer than you could ever imagine." I could feel the tears welling up, and closed my eyes. I felt Edward's hand brush a tear off my cheek, and leaned into it. I opened my eyes. "I'm sorry, I keep forgetting that I'm a stranger..." I paused, "we fell in love at first sight, and have been inseparable ever since. I love you so much it hurts sometimes. You are the only one that will ever have my heart. I don't think I could survive without you, or you me." I took a deep break, trying to steady my voice. "I don't even know how to put into words what we have. It's so much more than love."

"I wish I could love you back." I looked up to see Edward looking completely torn. How could he possibly do that now?

"Me too," I whispered.

It was silent for a couple minutes, and then Edward spoke again. "I want you to do whatever it takes to bring my memory back. Or if you can't do that...make me fall in love with you. I already feel what we have in my body, just not my brain. I feel completely lost in my head. Everyone has been living and changing in the past nine years and the last thing I remember is rejecting Jessica Stanley when she asked me to junior prom."

I snorted. "Jessica Stanley...I forgot about her."

"This is so weird." Edward sighed.

"Yeah."

***

I heard footsteps, and opened my eyes to see that the whole family had joined me.

"Bella, Edward is going to need to stay in the hospital for another day or two, and I know you have to get back to work, so how about you take a break from this and go home. We'll call you if anything happens," Esme said from the doorway.

I looked at Edward one last time, who was asleep, and got up. "I guess you're right. I could really use a shower." I looked up to see Alice with an exhausted expression on her face. "Alice, wanna come with?"

"Sure! To tell you the truth, I need to get out of here," she chirped.

As soon as we left the room, Alice scooped me into a huge hug, and I started crying again. I couldn't help it; the bricks weighing down on my chest just wouldn't go away.

"Alice, what am I going to do?" I sobbed from her shoulder.

"We're going to get you home and cleaned up, and then curl up on the couch with Ben & Jerry."

I sighed, breaking the hug and walking towards the parking lot, "ice cream is NOT going to make Edward remember."

"I know, but it'll make you feel better, and for once in your life you need to care about yourself more than others for just a few minutes." Alice gave me a pointed look.

I guess I couldn't really argue with that, so I slumped into the cushy seat of Alice's yellow Porsche and closed my eyes.

**EPOV**

I hated this feeling of being lost. My life had been moving forward for the past nine years, and I couldn't remember a single bit. There must be some sort of technique to help bring my memory back. I couldn't just sit here in my cold hospital bed and wallow in my black hole of a brain. Maybe if I hit my head again, it would all come flooding back.

"Hey Edward maybe if you hit your head against the wall really hard, you'll remember everything!" Emmet chuckled from my side. Since when was Emmet a mind reader?

"Emmet, you know that doesn't really work. He'd probably get even worse," Jasper said, swiping at the back of Emmet's head.

Thank god my friends were here. My emotions needed a break from the odd feelings I got when Bella was in the room. "Guys, stop bickering. I need your advice," I sighed, realizing I'm probably asking the wrong people. "What am I supposed to do about Bella? I have no idea who she is, but my body definitely reacts to her. What should I do?"

"You should just bang her, man. Maybe it'll stimulate all your senses," Emmet wiggled his eyebrows at me.

"Edward, don't listen to him. In my opinion, you shouldn't be having sex with Bella just to get your memory back. Don't do it until you're both ready for that. She loves you more than anything in the entire world, and you don't want to hurt her. Trust me." Ahh, Jasper. Always the voice of reason.

"Thanks, Jasper. At least I have _someone_ to give me good advice," I shot a look at Emmet. "So can you guys tell me about her? Don't leave anything out. I need to remember her, if it's the only memory I ever get back."

"Okay, where should I start?" Jasper asked.

"The beginning."

"Alright. Bella moved to Forks from Arizona our senior year. She came to live with her dad, Charlie, when her mom Renee got remarried to Phil. You two met in biology. You were lab partners, which turned out perfectly because you were the smartest kids in your class. She could keep up with your crazy brain." He paused. "At first, you were hesitant of your feelings towards Bella. You could feel yourself falling in love before your brain caught up. And so could she. I swear, if love at first sight really does exist, the perfect example would be you two. After a couple weeks of hilarious awkwardness and sexual frustration, the two of you were inseparable. You never told us this, but we all knew that on most nights you would sneak out to see Bella. I don't think you were having sex, though. The two of you have always been able to just be together without needing to say or do anything. You were both very quiet people, so it worked." Jasper stopped talking, probably trying to figure out where to go with the story. "Should I keep going?"

"Yes, please," I sighed. I wanted to hear more about my relationship with this gorgeous woman. And hopefully remember it.

Jasper continued, "Okay so you two went to Dartmouth together. Bella majored in art history and you in medicine. You lived in the dorms freshman year like everyone else, but then you talked her into getting an apartment for the rest of college. You even tried to get her to marry you, but she never wanted to be 'that girl' that married her high school sweetheart young and ended up living in a trailer, or something like that." Jasper chuckled. "Anyways, after you two graduated from Dartmouth, you went to Harvard for grad and medical school. Bella got a job teaching art history at a local community college while you finished med school, and then you both decided to move back here to be close to us. You bought a penthouse apartment in Seattle, and that's where you live now. You're a cardiologist at the Seattle Children's Hospital, and Bella teaches art history at Everest College. The other night, you were on your way to propose to her."

"Wow." I didn't know what else to say.

It was silent, probably because I was trying to understand all of this new information, and Jasper and Emmet felt completely awkward in this situation.

"Wait, so, how about you two? What happened with Alice and Rose?"

"Rose and I are engaged! We're getting married next month, actually," Emmet practically yelled, beaming.

"That's great! Congratulations! I knew you two were made for each other," I said. "What about you, Jasper?"

"Alice and I actually got married right out of college. We just had our third anniversary."

"I'm so happy for you guys, really. I just wish I could remember these things. I feel so out of it." I sighed, feeling almost jealous of my brother and best friend. Apparently my life was just as good, but I knew nothing about it. "I feel terrible about Bella. I can't imagine how she feels right now."

"We know, man. That's why we're going to do whatever it takes to help you. But in the mean time, we have to get back to our women, and you need to get to physical therapy. I need you to walk down the isle at my wedding!" Emmet clapped me on the shoulder, and walked out of the room with Jasper.

**BPOV**

The following day was just as unbearable as the last. After Alice left this morning, I went back to sulking about Edward, and curled up in my bed. Our bed. His pillow still smelled like him, so I buried my head into it as much as I possibly could. Hopefully he would come back to me soon. I imagined that this felt worse than a divorce. At least with a divorce it was a choice, and he would still know me and all of our memories. But this, this was pure torture. I sat there helplessly drowning in my love for him, while he tried to figure out who I was. I couldn't just sit here and become depressed, so I decided to go back to the hospital today.

I hopped into the shower, hoping the steaming hot water would ease some of my tension before another long day. I had called into work to get a substitute for my classes for the next week; there was no way I could face my students and teach them while I was in this kind of pain.

Feeling the hot water run down my body and loosen my tensed up muscles, I let my mind wander to the last shower I took before the accident.

_Edward and I had just woken up from the perfect night of sex; not making love, but just lusting for each other's bodies. As I started massaging the shampoo into my hair, I felt my own hands be replaced by Edward's. I spun around to grab his lips with mine, while my hands worked some of the remaining shampoo into his scalp. He moaned, and I slid my hands down across his shoulders, then his amazing pecs, to his rippling abs. I swear, he was a God. As I traced his lips with my tongue begging for him to open them, I could feel his hands graze down my back to rest on my bottom. He pulled me impossibly closer to him, so I could feel all of him pressed against me. My knees went weak and I moaned, when I heard a ringing sound. _

Fuck. I snapped out of my own thoughts to hear my cell phone ringing on the counter. A feeling of dread came over me when I realized that I probably wouldn't get to touch my Edward like that for a very long time. I finished rinsing my hair and stepped out of the shower, not wanting this day to continue.

**EPOV **

"The good news is, since you're already in great shape, you should have full use of your leg after only a couple weeks of intense physical therapy," the doctor said, bending my leg at the knee a couple more times. The pain was starting to dull, and I was excited to walk again. I felt like a hostage to my wheelchair, even after only two days.

"Thanks, Dr. Browne," I sighed in relief, wheeling myself back to my room. I had been in physical therapy for the past two hours, being bent and stretched to the point of agony. I had decided to ease off the painkillers, not wanting to get too used to them. When I got back to my room, I was surprised to see Bella, pacing back and forth.

"You can sit down, you know," I chuckled.

She froze and looked at me. "Oh, hi. Sorry. I couldn't sit at home anymore. I thought we could talk today." She looked hopeful.

"Sounds good. I need something to distract me from my leg, anyways." I winced, trying to bend it.

Bella walked over to the wooden chair next to my bed and sat down. "Ask me whatever you want." She smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. I wheeled myself over next to her and took her hand, trying to force my mind to remember her touch.

"What's your favorite color?" I figured I should start with some easy questions.

She blushed and looked down. She looked adorable when she did that.

"What?"

"Green. Well actually emerald green...it's the color of your eyes."

"Well if it makes you feel any better, I think my new favorite color is red," I said cautiously, hoping saying something like this wouldn't hurt her.

"Why's that?" She asked, looking me in the eyes for the first time today.

"It's the color of your cheeks when you blush."

"Oh." She looked down again, smiling, with red spreading across her cheek bones. "You seem really...comfortable with me. Why is that?"

"I guess it's because of everything you and my family has told me. We're obviously very close. And like I said, my body knows you. I can feel the sparks when I touch you. I'm also hoping that I can just will myself into remembering you."

"So when do you get to go home?"

"Actually, today. I just have to come back everyday for physical therapy, but they said it would be okay if I left; all that's left for me to really do is heal." I couldn't wait to get home and out of this overly cleansed room. There was nothing in here to help my amnesia.

"Are you going to go home with your family, or do you want to...come home with me?" Bella asked, blushing. Ahh, so that's what she was getting at.

"To tell you the truth, I haven't even thought of that."

"I understand if you want to go home, I was just thinking that maybe our apartment might help you remember." She looked sad, but hopeful at the same time. It was all my fault. I had to do something for her. I ran my fingers through my messy hair, thinking.

"I think I'll come home with you," I said, confident that this was the right thing to do. Her face lit up into a huge grin, and I couldn't help but flash my crooked smile.

"Are you sure? I don't want you to do anything you aren't comfortable with." Her face fell a little.

"Positive. Let me just get my things together, and we can go."

"Okay. Is it alright if I call the family to meet us at home?" she asked.

"Good idea, ask Emmet to pick up some pizza's on the way." Apparently, I had a very smart girlfriend. Maybe she could figure out a way to bring my brain out of this black hole.

The thought of home scared me a little, though. I was about to see how I lived; I really had no idea what my apartment would look like. I hoped seeing it would make me remember.

**BPOV**

Driving home from the hospital with Edward was a little awkward. I didn't really know what to say, and I could tell he was just as clueless as me, probably more so. I really wanted him to be comfortable with me, and was so worried that I was saying the wrong thing the entire time at the hospital, I decided to just shut up. I found it odd, but really amazing at the same time, that Edward felt comfortable around me. I could tell that he was trying so hard to remember his life, and wanted to know who I was. As per usual, Edward was being extremely strong. I was so proud of him, the way he could see the positive in every situation and not let a little (okay, huge) thing like memory loss get in the way. I was still wallowing in doubt, which was silly, because I knew that Edward could, and would do everything possible to get his memory back. I just wanted things to go back to normal. Hopefully his family could help.

When we got to the door of our apartment, after an entire ride of silence, I was thankful to hear the Cullen's on the other side of our door. It sounded like Emmet and Rosalie were arguing about something. I smirked. I looked up to see Edward trying to stifle his laughter, obviously hearing the commotion on the other side of the door. He turned to look at me as I opened the door and said, "Welcome home."

I wish I could read Edward's mind. When we walked into the apartment, his face lit up to see his family, but I wanted to know what he thought about his home. Before I could ask, I was pulled away by Alice to my bedroom.

She swept her eyes over my face and gave me a big hug. I must have still looked like a mess. I still felt like one. "How are you holding up?" She asked, eyeing my outfit of sweats and a t-shirt that was probably five years old.

"I guess I'm okay, just really overwhelmed. He's taking everything so easily, I don't know what to think."

"That's Edward," Alice sighed. She looked tired.

"What about you?"

"The same, I suppose. It's hard to concentrate on anything when your brother has just lost his memory. I think Jasper's starting to get frustrated, if you know what I mean." She smirked.

Oh, gosh. "Alice, I don't need to hear about you having sex with Jasper, but thanks for the information."

"You're welcome!" She smiled, giggling. At least some people in this family were holding up. "Let's get back to the party. Emmet and Rose were arguing over which Mercedes convertible is better when you two walked in."

I laughed, thankful for the distraction from my misery. "Alright, let's go." I started walking out the door, but Alice grabbed my by the shirt.

"Wait just one second, Bella. You can't possibly think you're going back out there wearing _this_," she waved her hand at my outfit.

"Oh, come on. I'm sure they've seen me in worse."

"That may be true, but tonight we're celebrating Edward's coming home. And you have to look as sexy as possible for him." She pouted at me. Damn Alice, she always knew how to make me cave.

"Fine, what did you have in mind?" I grumbled, worrying about what I was about to put on.

"This." Alice pulled a royal blue knee length jersey-knit dress out of my closet.

"Where did that come from?" I had never seen that dress before.

"While you were with Edward today I put a couple things in here." I rolled my eyes and threw the soft fabric over my head. There was no use in fighting Alice about her fashion choices. She knew I always caved. "Alright, get out there and strut your stuff!" She spanked my butt and laughed, making me practically fly out the door.

When I walked into the living room where everyone was sitting and eating pizza, Edward's eyes immediately snapped up to look at me. His favorite color on me was royal blue, and he was obviously realizing this right now. I blushed and went over to sit next to Esme and Alice. Everyone was laughing about something, and when I looked at Edward he just shrugged.

"What's so funny, guys?" I asked.

"Jasper just beat Emmet in arm wrestling for the first time!" Alice laughed, beaming at her husband.

"Jeez, Jasper, what have you been doing at the gym these past nine years?" Edward chuckled, amused at his brother and his best friend.

I looked over to see a big defeated frown on Emmet's face, but then Rosalie whispered something in his ear and his whole face lit up into a goofy grin. I didn't even want to imagine what she could have just said to him.

As my eyes wandered around the room, I noticed that all of the couples looked perfect and happy– except for one, of course. Esme and Carlisle were feeding each other pizza and laughing about something, Alice and Jasper were staring at each other silently as usual, and Emmet and Rose were making out, unabashedly in front of their family. Then my eyes went to Edward. He looked a little sad, but I could also tell that he was relieved to be around something as familiar as his family. The Cullen's had not changed in nine years. They were still as fantastic as ever. The only difference now was Edward and I.

He sensed my eyes on his face and looked up to meet them. He must have seen my grimace, because he motioned for me to come over. I sat on the couch next to him. "How are you?" He asked, searching my eyes.

"I should be asking you that," I sighed, wanting to touch his face to smooth away the worry on his forehead.

"I'm really sorry about this, Bella. It's not fair to you."

I blanched. "Don't say that, Edward. It isn't your fault." I closed my eyes and leaned into the squishy leather sofa. I could feel Edward's fingers intertwining with my own, and looked up at him.

"It's going to be okay. We'll figure this out," he whispered.

I really hoped so.

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**This chapter was mainly to just clear up what's been going on over the years, nothing too exciting yet. Reviews are my friend!**


	3. Ravioli

**A/N: **

**Disclaimer: Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer. I'm just having a little fun with her characters.**

**So here's Chapter 3...I hope you enjoy it. Please review! =]**

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**EPOV**

The following morning, I woke up to the sound of pots and pans banging around. What the fuck? I groaned and rolled over in the huge fluffy bed, not wanting to leave the warmth and safety of the down comforter. Even though this bed was unfamiliar, it smelled like me, and was equally as squishy as my old bed. I still couldn't remember a thing about my life, but I noticed that my body unconsciously knew everything. For example, last night when I came in here to go to put my pajamas on, I immediately went to the right drawer. I didn't even notice this until I was already in bed. None of it felt right in my mind, but my feet always knew where to walk.

I was pulled out of my thoughts by another crashing noise coming from the kitchen. Bella. She had insisted last night that I take the bed and she would sleep on the couch for a couple nights. I felt bad about it, but she refused to give in, so I slept in here, while I would assume she attempted to sleep in the living room. I rolled out of bed and walked into the hall. "Bella? Is everything alright in there?" I called, rubbing the sleep from my eyes.

"Don't worry about it, I just tripped over myself as per usual," she grumbled, before adding, "you'll get used to that, trust me."

I chuckled, assuming she meant that she was clumsy. I padded into the kitchen, now smelling rosemary and apples. "What are you making?"

"I was up all night researching Amnesia, and read that certain fruits and spices can help stimulate memory. Here, drink this," she said, handing me a cup of rosemary tea. Now that I was looking at her face, I could tell that Bella was really tired. Her eyes were bloodshot with dark circles forming underneath them. I took a sip of the tea and looked at her again.

"You should get some sleep," I offered, thankful for the warm beverage seeping down my throat. "You don't need to go through this much trouble for me."

She looked up at me, with a hurt look in her eyes. "It's for me, too, Edward."

Fuck. Now I felt really bad. "I'm sorry, Bella. Thank you for the tea, by the way." I took another sip. "What are the apples for?" I asked, glancing down at the counter.

"The acid in apples will help your nerve cells. They should make you feel better. I also made you some waffles for breakfast." I had to hand it to her, this woman knew her stuff. Waffles had been my favorite breakfast since I was ten.

"Thanks," I said, realizing just how hungry I actually was. I sat down at the island in the kitchen to eat my apples and waffles. I noticed that Bella had her head down on the counter next to me. "For me, at least take a nap." I didn't want to be the cause of her insomnia.

She gave a wary smile and lifted a mug of coffee, tapping her finger to it. "This will do for now, but thanks. I just want to do whatever I can."

"I understand." I nodded, shoveling the delicious waffles into my mouth. "These are fantastic, by the way."

Bella smiled and stood up. "I'm going to go shower, let me know if you need anything."

"Bella." She turned around, waiting. "Thanks." I gave her a warm smile and she nodded, walking towards the bathroom.

**BPOV**

Edward was right, I did need some sleep. Looking at my face in the bathroom mirror, I could practically see myself getting wrinkles. My eyes were red and puffy, with dark circles underneath. I looked like a zombie. My skin was dull and paler than usual, which was saying a lot, and my hair looked like a haystack. I had only gotten about three hours of sleep in the past four nights combined, and was starting to see the results. But how could I possibly sleep with this dread hanging over me like a storm cloud? I didn't think things could get worse than this. Last night I had my eyes glued to my computer screen for eight hours, searching for any possible remedy I could make for Edward, or anything that I could do to make him remember. Unfortunately, since each case of amnesia was different, there was hardly anything I could do. I would have to just let things happen.

The problem is, I was never very good at just letting things happen. Even on a regular basis, when my life was going well, I could be slightly anal. I tried my hardest to just go with the flow, but ended up just over thinking things. I would try harder this time, though. I had to be 100% there for Edward. I always was, but this was different. He had no idea who I was when he woke up, and he still doesn't really. I had to do everything in my power to make him comfortable.

As I stepped into the shower, adjusting the temperature as hot as it would go, I tried to just will my thoughts away for a couple minutes. I tried to meditate, count to 500, anything, to get my mind away from the tearing hole in my chest. Nothing worked, so I washed myself off quickly and got out of the shower. Today I would try to teach Edward about his life. If he couldn't remember it, he could at least learn it.

***

I walked out of my room to find Edward sprawled out on the couch, flipping channels on the television. "Hey, do you wanna ask me more questions today? Maybe I could just teach you about your life, for now," I asked, hopeful as ever.

He sat up, turning the TV off. "Sure, that sounds like a good idea."

I sat down next to him and he took my hand. I really hoped it wasn't out of pity. "What do you want to know?"

"What did we do on our first date?" He asked.

"You took me to this gorgeous meadow in the woods by your house, and we had a picnic and talked. It was perfect," I sighed, reminiscing about our past.

"I remember that meadow. The one with all the wild flowers, right? It was always brighter than the rest of Forks, even on a rainy day." He said, clearly happy about recognizing something from his past.

"That had to be one of the top five days of my life," I whispered, not sure if I wanted him to ask what the others were.

"What were the others?" Damn. I blushed furiously, hopefully conveying the message. The best days of my life always involved Edward, and sex with Edward. "You don't have to answer that," he sighed, understanding my blush.

"No, it's okay. The best day of my life would definitely have to be when we went to Paris after you graduated from medical school. It was the last day of our week-long trip, and it was hands down the most romantic day of my life." I could feel tears starting to well up, so I stopped talking.

"Do you have any pictures from Paris?" Edward asked. That was a really good idea, actually. Maybe looking at his life would help him remember.

"Hold on, let me go find some photo albums." I walked out of the room and into the office, where I kept old things such as vacation photographs. I located the albums and brought them back to Edward. "These are albums of every picture we've ever taken together," I said, mentally crossing my fingers that this would hold the key to Edward's memory. I held my breath as he opened the first one, praying it would all come flooding back any minute.

That didn't happen, though.

The first album we looked at was from Paris. We looked utterly happy. There was no other word to describe it. Maybe love. When we got to a picture of the two of us kissing in front of the Eiffel Tower, I had to stop myself from crying again. I missed my Edward so much; I just wanted him to hold me and kiss me and tell me he loves me. But that wasn't going to happen for awhile. Edward looked at me and frowned, obviously detecting my depression caused by this picture.

"We look so...happy," he sighed, rubbing the back of my hand with his thumb. I wished he would never stop, if it was the closest I could get to him.

"We _were_ so happy," I agreed, turning the page to the next photo. It was a picture of Edward holding a baguette above his upper lip like a moustache. I giggled, remembering that day perfectly, and looked to see Edward laughing as well.

"I look ridiculous," he chuckled. I could practically see the wheels turning in his head, the strain in his eyes as he tried to remember the past. "I want to know this so badly," he said, his voice more somber.

"I want you to, too." I turned to the next page, to see one of me in a deep blue silk dress, with my hair whipped wildy round my face from the wind, obviously laughing and holding my dress down in front of me.

"You look beautiful here," Edward said, running his hand down the page. I blushed, turning away so he couldn't see my face. Hearing him say things like that almost made the pain in my chest subside, but then I remembered that he still knew nothing.

"Thanks," I whispered, turning the page.

***

The next couple hours went by like that; we flipped through photo album after album, me telling him about all the places we had gone and seen. Then I played him the CD of the lullaby he composed for me, and I swear I could see a flicker of recognition in Edward's eyes. "Do you recognize it?" I asked.

"It does sound familiar, but I can't remember anything about it. What is it?"

I frowned. "It's you...it's the lullaby you wrote for me. You used to hum it to me every night before falling asleep."

"It does sound like you," he smiled, looking in my eyes. God, I loved that smile.

I cleared my throat and checked the clock, to see that we had been sitting here for nearly five hours. "Do you want anything to eat for lunch? I completely forgot about food."

Edward looked at the clock and turned back to me. "Wow, we've been sitting here awhile. I got so wrapped up in our life, I didn't realize how late it was." Just as he stopped talking, my stomach rumbled. "I guess we need food, then," he chuckled.

I got up and walked to the kitchen. "Is a peanut butter and jelly sandwich okay? I haven't really had time to shop."

"Yeah, that's fine. I'm not picky," Edward said from the living room.

"I know," I yelled to him, pulling out the bread.

**EPOV**

I was so immersed in learning about my life that the day completely flew by. By the time we looked up at the clock, it was already 2 pm. I was starting to get a headache from all of the information. There was no way I was going to be able to relearn an entire nine years of my life, so I just _had_ to get my memory back. Occasionally, a picture would put off some sort of spark of recognition in my brain, but I still felt blank. I could see that it was me, and that obviously all of this was real and happening, but it felt like searching for something that didn't exist– hopeless.

I could very well see that mine and Bella's life together was amazing, and filled with so much love. We looked blissful in every single picture, as if the honeymoon phase of our relationship was never ending. Hell, I even wrote her a lullaby. Even though I barely knew Bella, I could see that she was loving, caring, loyal, and beautiful in every way. Not to mention completely in love with me. We had barely talked, but I could already feel myself falling for her. It was just like Jasper had told me– I knew she was the girl for me as soon as I saw her at the hospital the other day. I wanted to take my time with this, though. I couldn't mess anything up. I didn't want to hurt Bella by doing something just for the purpose of remembering. I wouldn't touch her more than holding her hand until I had a firm grasp on who she was. I couldn't hurt either of us by making a stupid mistake. I had to have my life back, but I had no idea if that would ever happen.

I was brought back to reality by the smell of peanut butter. I looked up to see Bella carrying two sandwiches, and my stomach rumbled. "Just in time," I laughed.

Bella took a bite from her sandwich and looked up at me. "Is there anything else you want to know?" She asked.

I swallowed a bite, thinking over her question. "What's our favorite movie?"

"Easy. _The Princess Bride_." Bella smiled.

"No way. How did you get me to watch that with you?" I asked, surprised by her answer.

"I can think of a few ways," said Bella, blushing.

I smirked, knowing exactly what she meant. "How many times have we watched it together?"

"Probably thirty," she laughed– the most beautiful sound I had ever heard.

"Okay, what music is in our stereo most of the time?"

"Claude Debussy, always." She smiled.

"Well, at least my taste in music didn't go down the drain," I joked, winking at Bella. She swatted my arm playfully.

"Very funny, Mr. Cullen. You really do love _The Princess Bride_."

I cringed. "Oh yeah? What other movies do I love?"

"You know, _The Blair Witch Project_, _Pee Wee's Playhouse_, the classics," she snorted, obviously finding this hilarious.

"Right," I said sarcastically. "I bet we also regularly watch episodes of _Blue's Clues_ and listen to 98 Degrees to _really _set the mood." Okay, maybe the whole situation was a little funny.

Bella grinned at me, and I flashed her one of my famous crooked smiles. I had the overwhelming urge to hug her, but held back. I didn't want to end up hurting her in the end. She must have noticed my face fall into a frown, because she scrunched up her eyebrows in confusion. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"I'm just so overwhelmed by everything. You've been so fantastic to me, I wish I could do something for you." I took her hand in mine again.

"As long as you're trying, that's all you can do," she sighed. I had officially ruined the mood. "Don't worry about it, Edward."

"Will you at least take the bed tonight?"

Bella thought for a moment. "I don't want you to be uncomfortable."

"Well I don't want you losing sleep over me."

"I'm not letting you sleep anywhere but the bed, Edward. You might as well give up."

I thought for a moment. "Fine, then. We'll both sleep in the bed." I smirked, knowing it was the best idea.

"Are you sure? You've only known me for three days, Edward." She looked hesitant, but willing.

"Positive. It's the only way we'll both be able to get some sleep tonight."

"Alright, if that's what you want."

"It's what I want," I said, winning the argument. Our first argument. To me, at least. It felt like a very couple-y thing to do. And at that moment, I felt like I could actually beat this thing.

I looked at the clock again. "I have to get to my physical therapy appointment."

Bella looked up, "Oops, I forgot about that. Do you need me to drive you?"

"That's alright, I think Emmet wanted to give me a ride so we could go over wedding stuff." I shrugged. Apparently I had been appointed best man, so I had to start thinking of a speech to write, along with other duties, such as the bachelor's party. I laughed at the thought.

"What's so funny?" asked Bella.

"I was just thinking that Emmet is probably going to bombard me with information about his bachelor's party. I have no idea how to plan one of those things... I don't think I even want to."

Bella snorted. "Seeing as it's Emmet, you'll probably be forced into something pretty extravagant."

"Great." One more thing to add to my stress.

"You should ask Jasper for help. Alice asked me to help with Rose's bachelorette party."

"Good idea."

Just as Bella was about to open her mouth to say something, the doorbell rang.

"That must be Emmet. I'll see you in a couple hours." I gave Bella's hand a little squeeze and walked to the door.

"Good luck."

**BPOV**

After Edward left, I slumped into the couch and buried my head in a pillow. His actions were starting to confuse me. It almost felt like he wanted to touch me, like he was already falling for me again; I knew that wasn't possible. How could he possibly feel something after only three days? It's not like we had talked all that much. I was still practically a stranger. I thought tonight would probably be a little awkward, so I decided to make Edward his favorite dinner. My famous butternut squash ravioli. Even if he wouldn't remember ever eating it, I knew how much he drooled over my homemade pastas. I guess if I couldn't win him over with my charm, my cooking would certainly do the trick.

As I stood over the counter, cutting up the individual ravioli's, I wondered about how the whole sleeping-in-the-same-bed ordeal would go over tonight. I was nervous, but I was also mentally jumping up and down. This was a big step. It meant that Edward trusted me. Maybe sleeping close together would stir up some of his memories.

I couldn't help but to be a little selfish about it, too. I knew that Edward's health was more important than my sexual frustration, but I was unbearably excited to be close to Edward again. I wanted to fall asleep to the sound of him breathing in my ear; to feel his warm breath on the back of my neck, and to be surrounded in his amazing scent. The way he held my hand the past couple of days wasn't enough– it didn't feel intimate at all. I was hoping that tonight would.

Just as I was pouring the cream sauce over the pasta, I heard Edward come into the apartment.

"It smells amazing in here, Bella," he called, making a huge grin appear on my face. I loved it when people complimented my cooking.

"Just wait until you taste it," I laughed as he walked into the kitchen. "How did therapy go?"

"The same, I suppose. My limp is fading a little, so I don't look completely ridiculous when I walk, but the stretching and flexing is still sort of painful. The doctor said that I'm healing miraculously fast, though, so that's a good thing." He smiled, obviously relieved.

"That's great, Edward. I'm so happy for you. Why don't you go sit down at the table? Dinner's just about ready." I couldn't wait for him to eat the ravioli.

"Gladly! It looks delicious." He walked into the dining room.

I beamed, grateful for the passing down of my grandmother's cooking skills; unfortunately for me, it skipped a generation with Renee– I was always the one to cook back in Arizona.

Carrying the big plates of pasta, I sat down across from Edward at the table. I couldn't eat until he did– I wanted to see his face when he bit into the ravioli. I was usually a modest person, but I happened to know what kind of affect my food had on people.

"Dig in," I said, still grinning at Edward.

He speared a ravioli with his fork, put it in his mouth, and chewed. As I watched, I could see his eyes get wide and that gorgeous crooked smile break out. Damn, I loved that smile; it made my breathing hitch every time.

"This is the most amazing thing I have ever tasted in my life. No joke."

I smiled, blushing a little. "This used to be your favorite dinner I would cook for you."

"I have a feeling it still is." Score! "Why aren't you eating?" He looked up at me curiously.

"Oh, sorry. I just love watching people eat my food... I guess it's a little creepy, but I can't help it." Realizing how hungry I was, I took a big bite of pasta.

The rest of dinner was spent with me eating in silence, watching Edward as he hummed and mumbled incoherent compliments as he finished his ravioli. I was beaming the entire time. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't wipe the goofy grin off my face. It's not even like anything that fantastic had happened. I just loved the fact that Edward still thoroughly enjoyed my cooking.

When we finished eating and doing the dishes, I went into the living room to watch the evening news while Edward checked his email; I could tell he was stressed out from work. Seeing as he knew nothing about cardiology after the accident, he had decided to take an indefinite leave until his memory came back. I think he was disappointed that he couldn't even remember how to do his job, and I didn't really know what to say to help. It was hard to put myself in his shoes in this situation.

I was starting to drift off when Edward came into the room and sat down next to me.

"I think it's time for bed," he chuckled, yawning. Today was emotionally draining on the both of us.

"I think you're right," I said, dragging myself off the couch and towards the bedroom. He followed me, and sat on the bed as I went into the bathroom to brush my teeth. I had no idea what to say to him– I had a feeling it was about to get awkward.

I walked back into the room as he went to wash up. I pushed back the covers and fluffed my pillow, sliding into the most comfortable bed in existence. I curled up on my side and closed my eyes, secretly hoping that when I opened them everything would be back to normal. I opened them again when I felt the other side of the bed compress. I looked to see Edward, looking a little nervous about the situation, sitting on the side of the bed.

"I know you're tired, Edward. Try to get some sleep. I was thinking that we should sleep in tomorrow morning."

"That sounds like a really good idea," he sighed, sliding under the covers next to me.

"Goodnight, Edward."

"Night, Bella."

Within seconds, I could hear the slow and even breaths of Edward, signaling that he was asleep. I carefully scooted myself closer to him and turned over to look at his face. He looked so peaceful, and himself. As I slowly fell into a deep sleep, I felt like for once, things were the way they were supposed to be– I would let tomorrow come as it may.

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**So I probably wont be able to update every day like I have been these past couple days-- with my work/school schedule, I kind of have no time. Hopefully I'll have another chapter or two for you by the weekend. **

**Please review! They're very helpful; I want to know what you guys like and don't like, so I can improve my story as much as possible. Thanks a zillion!**

**-Kathryn**


	4. Warmth

**A/N:**

**Disclaimer: Twilight and all of its characters belong to Stephenie Meyer. I'm just having my fun.**

**So here's Chapter 4. Sorry it took longer than the others-- it's a lot longer. I didn't intend for it to be so long, but I wanted to have fun with it. Enjoy!**

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**BPOV**

I woke up feeling warmth all around me. It was more than just the bright morning sun streaming in through the window above my bed; My head was nestled into Edward's warm chest, with his arms wrapped tightly around my waist. When had this happened? I slowly opened my eyes to peer at Edward's face, to realize that he was still sleeping. I knew I should have moved away, but I decided to be selfish for a couple more minutes, so I stayed exactly where I was, basking in the feeling of Edward's breath on the back of my neck. It was just what I had been wishing for last night.

I don't know how long I stayed there in Edward's arms, listening to his slow breathing and feeling his chest rise and fall steadily. As I snuggled closer into Edward's perfect body, I wondered what he would think when he woke up. I had so many questions. Was this comfortable for him? Did this mean that he felt something for me? And was our sleeping position unconscious, or did Edward pull me to him at some point in the night? If he had, what would happen now?

After what felt like hours, Edward finally stirred behind me. I stayed as still as possible, hoping he wouldn't freak when he realized he was holding me in his arms... Exactly the way I wanted, I might add. I felt him take in a sharp breath and freeze momentary, but then relax.

"Bella?" His voice sounded worried.

I took a deep breath and shifted in his arms so I could look at him, and smiled.

"How long have you been awake?"

"I don't know, maybe twenty minutes?"

"Were we..."

I nodded slowly, trying to read the expression on his face. Confusion? "Is this uncomfortable for you?" I asked.

He paused for a second, thinking. "No, not really. I was actually thinking that I was very warm."

I smiled at him, exhaling a breath I didn't know I was holding. "I'm guessing this just kind of happened in our sleep... We usually sleep that way, so I suppose our bodies just did what they felt was normal."

"It does feel normal," he nodded, agreeing.

I realized he still had his arms locked around me, and I guess he noticed where my eyes went, because a second later they were gone. I sighed, not wanting to move from that very comfortable position. I could lay with Edward like that for the rest of my life and never need to move.

I stretched out my limbs as far as they could go, deciding it was time for breakfast.

"Is there anything you want for breakfast, Edward? I could make some waffles again."

"That sounds fantastic, thanks. I think I'm going to take a shower while you're cooking."

I smiled at him, happy that he wanted me to make him breakfast again. I took one last glimpse at his perfect body lying next to me, and unwillingly got out of bed, grumbling.

I felt Edward's hand wrap around my wrist, stopping me. "Bella, I just wanted to thank you for everything that you've been doing. You've been wonderful. I don't know what I could do to make it up to you, but can I at least cook you dinner tonight? I know for a fact that I can cook. A person never forgets how to boil spaghetti." He tapped his pointer finger to his temple.

I laughed in agreement. "You really don't have to thank me, but sure you can make me dinner if it makes you feel any better."

"It does."

I walked into the kitchen to start breakfast, hearing the sound of the shower starting. I decided to listen to some music this morning, so I put in a mix of all the best Debussy compositions and pressed play. The beautiful piano of "Clair de Lune" filled the apartment, and I hummed as I mixed the waffle batter.

I had a feeling that today would be a good day. Edward was already feeling comfortable with me, and maybe even a little more. I smiled to myself, hoping that someday soon I could kiss his full lips again with as much passion as I could muster, and he would respond equally. Just as I was about to pour the batter into the waffle iron, the phone rang.

"Hello?"

It was Alice on the other end, telling– not asking– me that we were going shopping with Rose today, because tonight we were all going out with our men; some hip new bar just opened, and according to Alice, we just _had _to check it out.

"Don't you think it's a little early to drag Edward out to a nightclub? He needs his rest." I tried to reason with Alice, although I knew that Edward would say yes to going– it was me that didn't feel totally up for it.

Eventually, I got talked into going. I could practically hear Alice giving me the puppy dog face, so I caved. I shook my head to myself. There was really no point in trying.

Alice and Rosalie were picking me up in an hour, so I had to get going. I quickly finished making the waffles, and put them on plates just as Edward walked into the kitchen.

"Smells good in here," he said, smiling.

"Alice just called; I have to go shopping with her and Rose in an hour, and I think Jasper and Emmet are coming to hang out with you for the day. Apparently we're all going out tonight."

"Sounds good... I was starting to feel a little stir-crazy in this apartment, stuck thinking about my leg. It's a welcome distraction." I grimaced when he mentioned his leg, seeing in his eyes that he meant to add, 'and brain', and took a bite out of my waffle.

When I was done eating, I took a quick shower and put on jeans and a long sleeve t-shirt. Alice couldn't complain about that outfit– it was one of the more modest things she had bought me. Just as I finished drying my hair, the doorbell rang.

"Hey, Edward, how are you feeling?" I heard Alice ask down the hall.

"Better, actually. I'm looking forward to tonight."

My stomach did a flip when I realized that I would probably be dancing with Edward tonight...either that or feeling completely awkward. I wasn't sure if it was a good flip or a bad flip. My emotions were all over the place lately, so I decided to not even try deciphering my body's actions. Hopefully tonight would be a step in the right direction for Edward and I... But what _was _the right direction? I guess I would just have to wait and see.

I walked into the hallway to greet Alice and Rosalie. Edward was back in the kitchen, putting our breakfast plates into the dishwasher; did he really feel that comfortable here already? At any rate, it was nice to see. I turned to a smiling Alice and Rose, and gave them each a tight hug. Alice was practically jumping up and down with excitement.

"You sure are chipper today, Alice. What's up?"

She pulled me closer, as if she was about to tell me a secret. "Does Edward remember you?"

"I don't think so, why?" I was confused.

"He just looks so...relaxed. Like nothing ever happened. And I saw the way he just looked at you. What have you two been doing?"

"Nothing, I swear," I whispered back. What look? "Anyways, let's get going. The sooner we start shopping, the sooner we can stop."

Rose laughed. "That's my girl."

I gave her a look.

"You've just been so somber and... in all honesty, a little pathetic these past couple of days. It's good to see you smiling again."

"Thanks, Rose. I think that's the nicest thing you've ever said to me," I joked.

She swatted at my arm.

"Now, now," Alice said. "We need to shop!" She turned toward the kitchen. "Edward, Em and Jazz should be here soon. They weren't exactly jumping up and down when we woke them up this morning."

Edward absently waved his hand in the air. "Bye, girls. See you tonight." He paused, and turned to look at me. "Bella, be back here by six, okay?"

"Okay, see you then, Edward."

We walked out the door, and immediately I was bombarded with questions regarding Edward and I.

"Have you two kissed?"

"He _so obviously_ has a thing for you."

"It's like love at first sight all over again!"

"Did you notice the way he looked at you?"

"What's happening at six?"

I couldn't process anything while I was practically being shouted at, so I waited patiently until my best friends shut up. "First of all, no we did not kiss. Second of all, I have no idea what you two are talking about... He doesn't even know me!"

"Oh, Bella. Stop being so transparent. He obviously sees you as more than a stranger. I'd go so far to say that he definitely feels something for you. The look on his face when he was talking to or about you reminded me of back in high school, when you two first met. I imagine it's feeling similar to him, too. You know, he's in to you, but not sure which way to go because as per usual, he doesn't want to hurt your feelings. It makes total sense. It's like he met you all over again the other day at the hospital." Alice was so smart.

I shrugged, not really knowing what to say, or think, for that matter. We got into Rosalie's red Mercedes and drove to the mall. It was silent except for the radio, which was playing oldies. When it got like this with us, it usually meant that we were all thinking about our men.

"How are wedding plans going, Rose?"

Her face instantly lit up at my question. "Fantastic!" she squealed, launching into a detailed description of the table settings she and Emmet had chosen this week. "...I swear, that man has no sense of style. I'm going to need you two to spy on his suit for the ceremony. I wouldn't be surprised if he showed up in a powder blue penguin suit."

Alice made a gagging sound, and we all laughed at the completely possible statement.

"Don't worry, Rose. We'll make sure he looks as dapper and handsome as ever," I said, still giggling at the ridiculous image of Emmet I now had in my head. It was great to be back with my best friends, laughing and acting like nothing bad had happened lately. I was going to enjoy this day as much as possible.

As we made our way through Saks, I tried to hold back my cringes when Alice or Rose would pile another ungodly dress on the others in my arms. This was going to be a long day. Of course, Alice and Rosalie rarely had to try anything on to know that they would look perfect in it– they could look chic and sexy in a potato sack. I, on the other hand, was forced into short dress after dress, rejecting the ones that were either too revealing or emphasized my boyish figure. I was holed up in the dressing room, while Alice and Rose flung more dresses over the door. After about five billion tries, I finally found the perfect dress to impress Edward.

It was a royal blue Herve Leger strapless bandage dress, with a sweatheart neckline and criss-cross detail. It skimmed over my body tightly, giving the illusion of curves and pushing up whatever cleavage I usually kept in hiding. Although it took me ten minutes to squeeze into it, it was by far the sexiest dress I had ever worn. But then I looked at the tag and nearly passed out when I saw how much it would cost.

"Alice," I called, "do you realize that you just had me try on a thousand dollar dress?"

"Yep!" she chirped from outside my door.

"I can't afford it! At all!"

"Come out here so I can see it," she sighed, audibly tapping her foot on the floor.

I opened the door of my dressing room slowly, keeping my body hidden from behind it.

"Oh, suck it up, Bella. Let's see it," Rose said.

With a deep breath, I walked out.

Silence.

"Is it really that bad, guys? You can just tell me," I mumbled.

"No way, Bella. That is the sexiest dress I have ever seen. You _have_ to get it! Edward will have a heart attack when he sees you," Alice beamed.

Rosalie nodded in agreement. "If I wasn't straight or engaged, I would definitely want to do you."

I laughed. "Thanks, Rose. I'll keep that in mind."

"Please get this," Alice whined.

"I can't afford it!"

"Fine, then I'll buy it for you!"

"You can't keep buying me clothes, Alice."

"As your best friend and future sister-in-law, it is my duty to make sure you look chic 24/7. So yes, I can. Try and stop me, if you'd like."

I huffed and walked back into my dressing room. "Fine. But I get to pay for my shoes." I could practically hear the smile spread across Alice's face from the other side of the door.

"Happy?" I said sarcastically as I handed her the dress.

"Very! Now we just need to get you some matching heels!"

I groaned as she dragged me by the arm towards the Manolo Blahniks's, Jimmy Choo's, and Christian Louboutin's. I swear that girl just loved to torture me with high fashion. As quickly and painlessly as possible, I picked out a pair of silver peep-toe Christian Louboutin platform pumps. Hopefully I wouldn't break my ankles in the five inch heels.

As we waited in line at the check-out, I eyed up the outfits that Rose and Alice had picked out for tonight. Alice was getting a yellow silk Phillip Lim mini dress that had short sleeves and a gathered waist. Her shoes were also Louboutin's, and were nude colored patent leather peep-toes. Rosalie chose a petal-pink Dolce & Gabbana bustier dress, with a pair of simple gold Jimmy Choo strappy sandals. Emmet and Jasper would for sure be drooling all night, while protecting their women from the wandering eyes of other men at the same time. Oh, how I loved my friends. Tonight would be a blast.

**EPOV**

Emmet and Jasper had come over about an hour after the girls went out shopping. Once they got here, armed with pizza and beer, we played video games and talked about our women non-stop until they came back from the mall. I had remembered all of Alice and Rosalie's shopping trips from back in high school, but Emmet and Jasper had to fill me in on what they were like with the addition of Bella.

I was surprised to hear that Bella thought of shopping as torture– she was always so well-dressed.

"That's only because Alice sneaks into your room when Bella isn't looking and replaces all of the quote-unquote unmentionables with what your sisters sees as more suitable. Alice doesn't know this, but Bella hides all of her comfy clothes in your sock drawer." Jasper laughed.

"So that's why I found a ton of women's clothing in there. I wasn't sure if I should ask."

"Alice and Rose's style is a little 'out there' for Bella," Emmet added. "She usually tries to get out of these shopping trips. I was surprised that she gave in so easily today."

"Probably so she could impress Eddie, over here, tonight." Jasper wiggled his eyebrows at me.

"First of all, don't call me Eddie. Second of all, what are you talking about?" I was lost.

"Oh, come on, man. The way you've been talking about Bella all day, not only are you completely falling for her, it sounds like she's trying to flirt with you." Emmet sounded as if I should know these things.

"Now that I think about it, she was kinda flirting this morning. After she woke up to me holding her."

"Wait, what?!" Jasper and Emmet said at the same time, with a look of shock on their faces.

"Have you two..." Jasper trailed off suggestively.

"Oh, god, no. We haven't done anything. I wouldn't feel right! We just sort of...woke up like that. I had my arms wrapped around her waist and her head was cradled in my chest. She said something about that being how we used to sleep; it was probably just our bodies acting natural."

"Mmhmm." Emmet looked at me skeptically.

"What?" I mumbled, not really wanting an answer. I knew where this was going.

"You have to make some sort of a move tonight, man. It's not like it's weird how fast you've fallen for her– it happened like that back in high school."

"I don't want to hurt her, though."

"Just go with the flow."

I sighed. "I'll try."

Emmet and Jasper left shortly after that, leaving me to start cooking Bella dinner. I decided to make spaghetti and a salad– simple enough.

As I stirred the tomato sauce, I thought about what Jasper and Emmet had said. Could I really be falling for Bella so soon? I felt bad about that; it didn't seem right to have feelings for her while I couldn't remember our past. At the same time, I couldn't deny my emotions. She was beautiful on the inside and out– anyone could see that. When I touched her, my body reacted in a way that acknowledged our closeness, sexually and mentally. It was hard to believe that I had, in fact, slept with this woman. Not only that, but she was in love with me. How did I ever get so lucky?

Just as the timer on the stove went off, I heard Bella walking through the front door with Alice and Rose, all laughing at something I'd missed.

"Edward?" I heard Bella call.

"In the kitchen!"

"I'll be right in, I just have to drop all of my shopping bags on the bed and collapse for a second." I could here all three women giggling like teenage girls as I poured the pasta into bowls.

"Alice and I have to go get prepped for tonight, we'll all be back here at 7:30 to finish getting ready." I heard Rose say to Bella from the bedroom.

"Mmk, see you guys later," Bella said. She sounded relieved.

"Don't think you're getting off easy, Miss Swan. We're coming back with makeup," Alice teased. I could imagine Bella cringing at that moment. I would have, too.

"Right. See you then!" Her voice sounded slightly higher in pitch.

"Later, Edward." Rose and Alice waved as they walked out the door.

A minute later, Bella came into the kitchen and slumped against the counter. She looked exhausted. "I don't know how I'm going to go out tonight. That was the craziest shopping trip they have ever taken me on. I think I might have a heart attack when the prices of those clothing sink in. I don't know _why_ your sister keeps insisting on buying me clothes; it just makes me feel bad."

"Yeah, Jasper and Emmet filled me in on the shopping i.e. torture trips that my sister and Rose take you on... Sorry about that."

"Oh, don't worry about me. I'm used to it," she groaned.

"Sounds like it," I chuckled. "Dinner's ready!"

"Great! I'm starved."

We sat down and ate our spaghetti in relative silence. Bella asked about my day with the guys, and I told her about how we just sat around and ate pizza and played video games. She rolled her eyes. "_Men_," she sighed. I smirked at her. We quickly finished eating so Bella could take a shower before everyone got here.

While she was in the bathroom, I stood in front of my closet trying to decide what to wear. I settled on a pair of dark jeans and a black button-up. Simple, but classic. Hopefully Bella would approve. I let my eyes roam around the room as I waited for her to finish getting ready. There were a couple huge shopping bags strewn around, all with expensive names on them. I rolled my eyes. This was obviously Alice's doing.

When Bella came into the room, she made me go in to the living room to wait for our friends to get here– she wouldn't let me see her outfit. I was hoping it would be something fantastic.

A couple minutes later, I heard a loud knock on the door. I opened it to find Alice, Jasper, Emmet, and Rosalie smiling in anticipation for the night. In her hand, Alice was carrying a silver briefcase– makeup? Along with a garment bag for her dress. Rose also carried a bag full of tools I assumed she would use to do Bella's hair, along with her dress. She was always the hairdresser to my family back in high school. The girls quickly strode past me and went straight for mine and Bella's bedroom.

**BPOV**

To say that the next forty five minutes of my life were torture would be an understatement. Alice and Rose wouldn't let me look in the mirror the entire time, so I couldn't protest the amount of makeup they were caking on to my eyelids. After eight years of this, you'd think that I would get used to it. Somehow that never happened, but I did finally realize that Alice and Rosalie would never make me look bad, so I gave up on fighting.

I sat on a stool in my bathroom while they did their magic, hoping it would all be worth it in the end. To be honest, they hadn't taken this long to do my makeup in a couple years; they probably figured that once I got Edward, all of the makeup didn't matter. It felt like tonight they were overcompensating for something, though. I couldn't deny that I wanted to knock him off his feet, but at the same time I felt kind of silly. When– _if–_ Edward's memory comes back, why would any of this make a difference? And if it didn't come back... Then this would be a waste of everyone's time.

"Done!" Alice squealed, pulling me out of my thoughts. _Finally_.

"Bella, you look hot!" Rosalie smiled triumphantly at her handiwork. "I think this is our best job ever, Alice!"

Alice nodded. "Yeah, Bells, if Edward doesn't drool tonight, there's more wrong with him than we thought!"

I laughed, then took a deep breath. "Alright, let's get going." Alice and Rosalie cleaned up their huge mess of products, before spinning me around to look in the mirror for the first time.

"You're not going out there until you see yourself," Alice said with her hands on my shoulders. "Okay, open your eyes!"

They were right– I did look hot. My dress looked even better on me now that the whole outfit was together, and the royal blue made my skin glow. The silver heels made my legs look endless under the dress, and my hair was wavy and a little messy– sex hair. My smokey makeup made my chocolate brown eyes stand out, and my lips shone with a light shade of pink. Maybe for once I could measure up to the beauty of Rosalie and Alice.

Rose and Alice quickly slipped on their dresses and we walked into the livingroom to meet the boys. Alice ran over to Jasper and he gave her a sweet kiss. When Emmet saw Rosalie, I could swear that his eyes bugged out of his head. She walked over to him to be greeted by a slap on the ass, and she turned to give him a sly smile. Then I looked at Edward. He looked gorgeous, as usual. I gave him a warm smile, and his returning smile looked... nervous. His eyes swept over my entire body, making me blush.

"Alright, let's go!" Alice chirped from the safety of Jasper's arm.

The ride to the bar was quieter than normal. We decided to all drive together, so we took Emmet's jeep. Him and Rose were arguing quietly over the radio in the front seat, and Alice and Jazz were sitting in front of us cuddling. Edward and I sat in the back of the jeep, looking out our respective windows. I couldn't help but to take a quick peak at him occasionally. I would never get bored of looking at him. At one point, I accidently caught his gaze on me. I blushed, turning my head.

"You are absolutely stunning tonight, Bella." He whispered in my ear, making the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. When I got my flaming cheeks under control, I looked at him.

"Thanks. You look gorgeous, as usual." I grinned at him. He returned it with his crooked smile, making my heart skip a beat. _Get a hold on yourself, Bella_, I thought, internally rolling my eyes. I repositioned myself to face the front of the car, and felt Edward's arm go around my shoulders. It was exactly what I wanted, and the opposite of what I needed. What I needed was his brain to work again. Nonetheless, I scooted my body closer into his, and sighed. This was nice.

We managed to walk straight into the bar without having to wait in line, and found an empty booth to sit at. Jasper and Emmet ordered drinks for all of us, and we sat down to take a look around the place. It had an exclusive vibe to it, the decorating simple but modern, with dim lights and music playing softly in the background. In about an hour, the bar would turn into a full-blown nightclub, but for now it was quiet and relaxed.

We sat at our table for the hour, talking about nothing in particular, and finally the overhead lights turned off and the flashy club lighting came on. There was an area in the middle of the room cleared out as a dance floor, with a DJ table behind it. The music immediately switched from chill to loud, pulsating dance music. A few couples started moving towards the dance floor, swaying to the music. Rosalie and Emmet stood up and walked to the center of the floor, and started dancing. The way their hips moved against each other suddenly made me nervous. It's not like I hadn't seem them dance before– this was tame compared to how it would be an hour from now– it was just that I wasn't sure if Edward would want to dance with me at all, let alone like _that._ The way I secretly wanted to.

A couple minutes later, Rose and Emmet came back to the table to get some water, and Rose pulled Alice and I out of the booth into the middle of the dance floor. As if it were timed perfectly, the song "Yeah" by Usher came on; it was a true classic. Everyone on the floor cheered and started dancing more enthusiastically. Alice and Rose gracefully moved their hips; they always looked like classically trained dancers, even while gyrating and grinding. I wasn't as blessed in the grace department, so I imagined I looked more like a fish out of water than one of my best friends. Alice and Rose had even taken it upon themselves to teach me how to dance; it wasn't exactly an experience I wanted to repeat.

As we danced to the loud music, I noticed Jasper and Emmet coming over to dance with their women. Rosalie took one look at her man and attacked his lips, moving against his hips simultaneously. I suddenly felt unenthusiastic about tonight. I was just about to go back to our table to talk to Edward when I felt two strong arms wrap around my waist. I froze immediately, but then relaxed when I realized that it was Edward– I could smell the distinct scent of his body wash. I turned in his arms to greet him.

He whispered seductively into my ear. "I thought you looked lonely over here dancing by yourself, so I decided to join you." I felt my knees go weak a little at the unbelievably close contact. I didn't trust my voice in that moment, so I just smiled up at his gorgeous face. He started. "Oh, I'm sorry. I'm not being a gentleman." He took one step backwards, and my heart fell a little in my chest. But then he smiled and said, "would you like to dance with me?"

I beamed and nodded, and he chuckled.

"You're very to please; did you know that?"

I laughed. "Yeah, well..." I could feel my cheeks starting to burn, so I cut off. "Let's dance."

Edward was behind me, and stepped closer to my body, putting his hands gently on my hips. It felt completely natural to me, but wouldn't he be a little nervous? We hadn't had this kind of physical contact yet since his accident. I never thought that he would want to touch me when I was still just some girl. Maybe I was turning into more than that?

I leaned my body back into his as much as I could without making it awkward, and started to move my hips to the music. I had danced with Edward like this many times before– I knew it would feel natural and perfect. Our bodies moved together as if they were created only for the other person. I kept it steady and casual for awhile, not wanting to make Edward uncomfortable.

After a couple songs of dancing like that, I could start to feel Edward's body respond to mine more than before. His hands were more assured on my body, and his hips grinded closer into me. Both of us were panting at this point, and I was starting to sweat, but there was no way I could stop now. The touch I had been craving these past few days was in my reach. Not thinking, I slid down Edward's body and came back up, making sure that I was keeping contact the entire time. I heard him gasp in my ear, and I felt triumphant. I could make this new Edward feel just as much lust as my old Edward. I shivered as I felt his hands move from my hips to my rib cage, and back down again. He did that a couple more times, and I thought for sure I wouldn't be able to hold my own body weight.

Needing to see that Edward was in fact there touching me, I turned around to face him. I must have caught him off-guard, because he froze for a second, but then started dancing again when I smiled. This time I put my hands into his disheveled bronze hair and pulled on it, knowing it would drive him wild. As I continued to grind on his hips, his hands roamed up and down my back, leaving goose bumps in their wake and resting on my bottom. I sighed into his neck, wanting to kiss it so badly. He shivered, and moved his left hand down the back of my right leg until it was at the bend in my knee, and pulled it up and around his waist. With this new position, I could feel every curve of his body against mine, and knew he was just as aroused– if not more so– as me.

I moaned, muffling it against his shoulder, and his face came down to my neck. I could feel his hot breath on my skin, and wanted more. He must have sensed this, because then I felt his lips sucking and kissing the patch of skin below my left ear. I nearly passed out at this surprise. But then I froze, realizing that Edward was actually _kissing me_, and met his horrified gaze.

"I'm so sorry," he stammered, trying to get his breath back. "I don't know what happened, I just..." He drifted off, focusing his eyes on his feet.

I cupped my hand under his chin to make him look at my face, to see that I wasn't mad. "Edward, don't be sorry. It was me, too. I lost control. I forgot that this was new to you. I forgot about the accident." I held my breath, hoping he wouldn't blame himself for this.

"It wasn't fair to you, though. I still can't remember anything. I just feel...you. Bella, I can't help but to fall for you. Everything about you is intoxicating."

I smiled at him, feeling a blush spreading across my face. "I honestly don't care about fair, Edward. It may sound stupid of me, but I don't care if you touch me when you still can't find your memories. I'm still in love with you... You, in any form. And what you feel is real, too. It may not be as deep as what I feel yet, but it's there, and it's true."

"Thank you for saying that, Bella. Not only does it take a huge weight off my chest, but it means the world that you still want to be with me in this state." He looked sad.

I stroked his face, wanting to keep the physical contact as long as possible. "I love you," I whispered, closing my eyes.

My heart nearly exploded out of my chest when I felt Edward's lips press against mine slowly. He took them away, and I sighed, but then felt them return on my forehead; then my eyelids; then my nose; then finally, back to my lips. I parted mine slightly when I felt his tongue trace my bottom lip, then upper. I took his bottom lip in mine, sucking, urging the kiss to a new level. I felt his tongue on my top lip again, but this time it was asking for entrance. I opened my mouth slightly, basking in the feeling of his body completely pressed against mine. Edward massaged my tongue with his own, then pulled the kisses back slowly until they were just pecks, realizing our need for oxygen. I kept my forehead against his, reveling in his taste that was still in my mouth, and wanting to lengthen our contact. We stayed silent for awhile like that, catching our breath, along with our emotions. His arms were wrapped around my back, pulling my body up against his. My hands were at his neck, tracing tiny circles in his skin.

"That was...amazing." Edward sighed. I blushed.

"More than," I mumbled. He nodded in agreement.

"Sorry to break up the love-fest, you two, but we all want to go home."

"Alice," Edward and I both grumbled at the same time, laughing.

We broke apart, unwillingly I might add, to walk to Emmet's jeep, but Edward kept his arm wrapped firmly around my waist the entire way home. I rested my head on his shoulder, finally feeling the exhaustion of the day sink in. I closed my eyes, and the next thing I knew, I was laying on my bed with Edward standing over me.

"Did you carry me all the way up here?" I groaned, feeling bad for falling asleep and letting him stress out his injured leg.

He smiled warmly at me.

"I'm gonna go change out of this dress– I want to breath again." I walked into the bathroom to put on my loose cotton pajamas and brush my teeth. Tonight had been... amazing. There was no other word for it. I didn't know what any of it would mean in the morning, but at the moment I just didn't care. I went back into my room and sat on top of the bed, waiting for Edward to join me.

"I think we should sleep in tomorrow," he said, walking out of the bathroom and switching off the lights.

"Sounds fantastic," I mumbled, sliding into the comfort of our bed. I turned towards Edward, wanting to get one last look at him before blacking out, and sighed as he brushed his hand up and down my cheek.

"Night, Edward."

"Sweet dreams, my Bella."

I turned over and scooted against his body, allowing his arms to envelop me and hold me all night. We could talk tomorrow, but for now, I just wanted this perfection.

* * *

**As you can probably tell, I had a lot of fun with this chapter. =] I hope you enjoyed it, too.  
**

**Review please! Getting them is (almost) as fabulous as Christian Louboutin's. **

**-Kathryn  
**


	5. Bliss

**A/N:**

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight and all of its characters. **

**So here's chapter 5...it's a little short, but it's really just a transition. Sorry I've been slower to update the past couple days-- school is getting hectic. **

**Now, some more fluffy goodness for you to enjoy!**

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**EPOV**

The following week flew by in a complete blur. I still had not gotten any of my memory back, and was starting to become extremely frustrated with myself. I found adjusting to this new life to be fairly simple– taking time off from work was definitely a good idea. All week I had been buried in medical textbooks, trying to study my job. It was _not_ an easy field. If my memory was never going to come back, I would probably have to find a new career; I would cross that bridge when I got to it.

Physical therapy was going well, and by now I could walk without a limp. Occasionally I would feel a dull pain, but nothing unbearable. My doctor said I could start going back to the gym in the next couple weeks.

My life felt like it was coming back together, but it was still ridiculously hard getting by without my memories. The last 9 years of my life were still a complete blank, and I desperately wanted to remember them. Not just for me, but for Bella. I could finally admit to myself that I was falling in love with her, and decided to just let it happen. It made her happy, and that's all that would ever matter.

Ever since that night at the bar, things between us were completely different. The next morning when we woke up, it had been a little awkward at first; neither of us knew what to say. After a couple hours of silence and stupidity, we gave in to our impulses. We spent the rest of the day sitting on the couch, kissing and holding each other. The rest of the week continued like that– we just kept getting closer and closer, and more comfortable around each other. I had a feeling that occasionally Bella would forget about my Amnesia, and that was fine by me. I wanted to live my life as normally as possible.

Yesterday had been pure bliss. We slept in, then made endless batches of waffles together in the kitchen. I went to physical therapy for an hour, and then returned home to a smiling Bella. We ended up back in bed, making out for five hours straight. If heaven existed, I hoped it would be like that. Bella had finally stopped holding herself back, and took it upon herself to increase the intensity of our kisses. Once we realized that we hadn't eaten in six hours, we ordered Indian food and watched a chick flick, finally falling asleep in each other's arms.

When I woke up this morning, I hoped that we could continue where we had left off last night– but being the moment-ruiner that she always was, Alice called, forcing us to go see a new movie that was coming out. I was standing in the kitchen, pouring a bowl of cereal, when Bella came in.

"Morning, sleepyhead," I sighed, hugging her little body tightly against mine.

"Good morning, Edward." Bella smiled warmly up at me. She stood on her tippy-toes and planted a chaste kiss on my lips.

"Did you sleep well?"

"I did, thanks. But you really didn't have to carry me into bed from the living room. You could have woken me up. Or left me there."

"Don't worry about it. I wanted you to be more comfortable."

"Thank you." She smiled, then pulled a cereal bowl out of the cabinet.

"So Alice called a couple minutes ago."

"Oh yeah? What did she have to say?"

"We're going to see a movie with everyone this afternoon. Trust me, I tried to get out of it."

"That's okay– I guess we can't stay here _all _the time."

I nodded.

"What time are we going?"

"They're all meeting us here at 12:30, so we should probably start getting ready soon."

"Mmk, sounds good," Bella mumbled, spooning cereal into her mouth.

Once we finished eating and doing the dishes, I got in the shower while Bella read the paper. Today I had a day off from physical therapy, and I was thankful for the break. I wasn't really in the mood to be stretched and pulled at right now. I let the hot water fall down my body, relaxing all of my muscles. I realized that these past couple of days had been some of the most restful, not to mention happy, days in my life that I could remember. Lazing around the apartment with Bella was rejuvenating. She made me feel as if I was worth something, and as though my Amnesia didn't matter at all. She was the only one with the power to make me forget, even if just for a couple minutes. I didn't think it was ever possible to fall in love with someone in a week, but clearly I was wrong. Bella was the greatest thing to ever happen to me, and I wanted to remember everything about our life together, even if none of my other memories came back.

I stepped out of the shower and got dressed. When I walked into the livingroom, I found Bella with her nose buried in an old copy of _Wuthering Heights_. I had no idea why she insisted on re-reading it a thousand times, but she explained to me the other day that she couldn't help but sympathize with the characters.

Seeing the concentrated expression on her face, I chuckled.

"Oh! I didn't see you there." She closed her book and stood up. "I guess I'll go shower."

I reached out to give her hand a little squeeze as she walked past me.

While Bella was getting ready, I sprawled out on our bed and closed my eyes, concentrating on taking deep, even breaths. Ever since the accident, I had been doing this occasionally. There wasn't necessarily any trigger to me feeling overwhelmed; it would just happen from time to time. I needed a moment to keep my brain in check. I had to continuously remind myself that everything would come back eventually; without that hope, I knew that I could possibly spiral into a deep hole and have a hard time coming back up. The knowledge that my memory could come back, along with Bella's unconditional support, was the only thing holding me together.

I heard the bathroom door creak open, and then the bed compressed beside me, and I felt Bella's little hand massaging the creases out of my forehead. I hummed, opening my eyes.

"You okay?" She asked sweetly, smiling down at me.

"Yeah, I just needed a second."

She nodded, understanding.

"That feels so good," I sighed, wanting her to continue the head massage. Then I felt her hand move from my forehead to my cheek, as her warm lips pressed gently into mine. I smiled against her mouth, silently thanking her. I pulled away to look her in the eyes.

"Have I told you lately how amazing you are?"

She blushed, smiling. "Just a couple times..."

"Well, I mean it." I gave her a quick peck, sitting up on the bed. Focusing my eyes, I realized that Bella was only wearing a towel. "I'll go wait in the livingroom for everyone to get here."

I closed the bedroom door behind me, just as I heard the doorbell ring.

"Edward, my brother, it's been too long!" Emmett joked as I opened the door.

"Sorry... I've been...busy."

He elbowed me in the ribs as he walked in, followed by Rose, Alice, and Jasper.

"Hey, everyone."

"Edward, why haven't I seen either you or Bella in the past week? Do you have some explaining to do?" Alice quirked her eyebrow at me.

"I have nothing to report to you, Alice." I smirked, seeing where this was going.

"Where's Bella?" Rosalie asked, looking around the apartment.

"She's just getting dressed– she'll be out in a minute."

We stood around for a couple minutes, chatting about our lives the past week, and Bella finally came out of the room.

"Oh! You guys are here. I didn't hear you come in."

"Don't worry about it, Bells. Nice top, by the way." Alice said.

"Thanks, it's new."

"Wait. Wait. You went shopping without me? When did this happen?"

"Edward got it for me, actually." She blushed, turning to me to explain.

"I was at the mall buying some new socks and I saw that shirt and thought of Bella." I shrugged, not thinking anything of it.

"That's nice of you, Edward." Alice winked at me. Hmm...

"You guys, we should go. The movie starts in twenty five minutes," Jasper said, putting his arm around Alice.

We crowded into Emmett's jeep and drove to the theater. Once we were there and in our seats, I curled my arm around Bella and she let her head rest on my shoulder. Neither of us really wanted to see this movie– we thought it looked kind of stupid. But as soon as the lights dimmed, I could feel an electric current between Bella and myself. I sat there completely still, resisting the urge to kiss her neck. I peeked over at her to see a look on her face, expressing that she was having the same thoughts as me. To calm myself, I twisted my fingers into hers and started rubbing small circles on the back of her hand with my thumb. She sighed and scooted impossibly closer to me, and nuzzled her face into my neck. I just wanted this movie to be over; when would it end? I had no idea what was even going on.

Finally, after an excruciatingly long two hours, the movie ended. I heard Bella breath out a sigh of relief as she sat up, turning to look at me. I flashed her my crooked smile.

"Well that was interesting," I said, stretching my legs. I looked around to see Emmett and Rosalie making out shamelessly, while Alice and Jasper stared lovingly into each other's eyes. Oh, how I loved my family. "Hey, lovebirds! The movie's over," I chuckled, trying to get everyone's attention.

"Oops!" Rosalie said, pulling away from Emmett's lips.

Alice smiled sheepishly at me, and stood up, pulling Jasper with her.

"Did you guys like the movie?" I smirked, already knowing their answer.

"I, uhh... I have no idea what happened," Jasper mumbled, looking slightly embarrassed.

We all looked at each other for a moment, then started laughing hysterically. Apparently we had all been too caught up in our respective partners to pay attention to the movie.

Bella snorted. "Well this is just ridiculous." She paused. "I'm assuming that none of you want to go out for lunch now, do you."

"Definitely not. It's time to go home," Alice chirped from Jasper's side.

"Yeah, let's get out of here," Rosalie said, winking at Emmett.

I couldn't help but to laugh at how unbelievably horny my family members were, all the time. No one could ever keep their hands to themselves. Even in high school, when Alice and Jasper and Emmett and Rosalie first started dating, sitting at the lunch table with them was horribly awkward. I would usually sit there eating my lunch and reading a book, while they would completely ignore me and shamelessly make out in front of the entire student body. I shook my head at the memory.

"What?" Bella asked.

"Oh, nothing, I was just thinking about how my family is perpetually horny."

Bella snorted. "Yeah, it's always been like that. I remember in high school when we would all sit around the lunch table, making out. Now that I think about it, I sort of feel bad for our teachers and other friends. That must have been awkward..."

"I wish I could remember high school with you," I sighed, taking Bella's hand. I desperately wanted to close the distance between our bodies and just kiss her now– the sexual frustration from the past two hours still hadn't worn off.

We walked out of the theater and drove back to our apartment. Once Bella and I were dropped off, we practically ran to our front door. All of that electricity at the movie had built up into something unbearable– we just _had _to touch each other.

As soon as the door was closed, Bella pushed me softly against it, and whispered into my ear. "I've been wanting to do this to you all day." I shivered, feeling the hair on the back of my neck stand up. Unable to take it much longer, I moaned and grabbed her neck, planting my mouth firmly on hers. I sucked on her full bottom lip as she fisted her hands into my already disheveled hair and grabbed it roughly. The tip of her tongue traced the outline of my lips, causing me to open my mouth. She pushed her tongue against mine, massaging and wrapping around it. I groaned into her mouth, making her increase the pressure significantly. My hands slid down her back to rest on her bottom, and massaged slow circles into her skin. Bella's mouth moved from my own, down my face to the crook of my neck, and began sucking and licking the skin. Gasping, I could feel her hot breath against my wet neck, and moved my head to suck on her earlobe. She moaned, making me become more aroused than I had ever remembered. Bella obviously noticed this, and shifted her hips against mine. I continued to suck on her earlobe, and then the soft patch of skin below it. She grabbed my face in her hands and roughly pushed her lips onto mine again, eliciting another loud groan. I could feel her mouth curl up in a smile against mine, and returned to sucking on her bottom lip. I pushed my tongue further into her mouth, tasting every crevice of it; she tasted sweet, like flowers and chocolate. I continued massaging her tongue with my own, as her hands ran up and down my abdomen, as if memorizing every curve of my muscle. Sensing both of our needs to breath, I slowed our lips and brought her hands up to my mouth, placing light kisses against each of her knuckles. I leaned back a little to look at Bella's face. She looked slightly flushed, with a dreamy look in her eyes, and her lips were swollen and red. She was absolutely radiant.

"You're beautiful," I sighed, looking deep into her chocolate brown eyes. She looked down, blushing ever so slightly. "Bella," I said in a more serious tone.

She looked up. I tangled my fingers into hers.

"I love you."

Her whole face lit up, and she threw her arms around my waist, hugging me tightly. She broke away, and I noticed she had tears forming in her eyes. I kissed her forehead. She looked so happy, I thought she might burst.

"I love you too, Edward." She sighed, wiping the tears from her face.

**BPOV**

I stood facing Edward, who was still pressed up against the front door. I couldn't believe what I had just heard. Had it even been two weeks since the accident? How could he possibly be in love with me already? I wasn't saying that Edward didn't mean it– I knew that he did. It was just unbelievable how fast it had happened. I stared into his eyes, trying to form a coherent sentence.

"Edward, I... You've known me for less than two weeks."

He cupped his soft hand around my cheek and rubbed the skin there. "It doesn't matter. I feel like I've known you forever. The minute you spoke to me, I knew I was falling for you. And after spending the last week with you, there is no one else I would rather be with, and you are the most important part of my life. I don't know what I would have done the last week without you."

"You would have dealt."

"That may be, but not well. With you, I feel like I can do anything... I love you, with all my heart. Truly."

It felt like the hole in my chest was finally patching up. Looking at Edward, the tearing feeling disappeared. I could finally breath again. His eyes were filled with pure love and happiness, as I'm sure mine were. He may not have known much about our life together, but it was obvious that he didn't care about our past– all that mattered was the present, and the future.

"Thank you, Edward," I sighed, trying to fight back the tears.

"For what?"

"For everything... For patching up the hole in my heart." Tears started to stream down my face uncontrollably. But that was okay, because these tears were different than those that had been shed in the past week– these were happy tears, filled with love.

"Anything, for you," he said, pulling me into his chest. I got my breathing under control, and pulled away.

"What do you want for dinner?" I asked, smiling at Edward's gorgeous face.

"Anything that you make will be perfect."

"Waffles, it is!"

"For dinner?"

"It's a special occasion." I smirked, and walked into the kitchen.

"How did I get so lucky?" I heard Edward call to me from the hallway.

The real question was, how did _I_ get so lucky? Edward was the greatest man on the planet, as far as I was concerned. I now knew that even if his memory would never return, we could still love each other and create a new relationship from scratch. Of course, I still had all of our memories, but we could always make new ones– and we would. Maybe we could go on a vacation next month. Edward needed some new memories to replace the old ones he may never get back.

Mixing the waffle batter, I felt Edward's arms lace around my waist from behind me. He began kissing my neck, dragging his lips up and down slowly.

"Mmm." I sighed, leaning into his body. I wasn't afraid to be bold now. I turned my head to catch his lips in my own, and gave him a soft kiss before returning to our dinner.

"Mmm," he said into my ear, giving me goose bumps. Distracted, I dropped the spatula into the bowl.

"Edward Cullen, if you don't get your hands off of me, we wont be having dinner tonight." I put my hands on my hips.

"You know, I think I could go for that." I could feel his mouth pressed against the back of my head, turning up into a smile.

I wanted so badly to just give in to my man, but held my ground. I wanted this to progress slowly, and I knew where this would go if we went any faster. I wasn't sure if I was ready for that, let alone Edward. "Well, I don't know about you, but I'm hungry. And these waffles smell delicious. Maybe I'll even put some chocolate chips in them, if you behave."

He sighed, pulling away. "I surrender." I turned around to look at him, and he had his hands up in the air. I gave him a small pack on the cheek.

"Good!" I chirped, returning to my waffle batter.

***

After dinner, the rest of our night was spent on the couch, curled up into each other. Edward kissed the back of my head.

"Today was perfect," he sighed.

"It was, wasn't it." Truth be told, I didn't want the day to end. I was worried that tomorrow Edward would wake up and decide that he didn't love me. I knew this was most likely impossible, but I still held that doubt. It had all been so quick– couldn't he just as quickly take it back? I couldn't stand the thought of losing him again, so I tightened my grip on his waist.

"You okay, Bella?"

"As long as you never leave me, I will be."

"I promise I will never leave you. Ever."

I smiled, and rested my head against his chest. "Let's just lay like this forever, okay?"

"Okay." He shrugged, taking my hand in both of his and playing with it absentmindedly.

"What if I said I wasn't kidding?"

"Then I'd still say yes." Could this man get any better?

We sat on the squishy couch for a couple hours, watching _Friends_ reruns on the tv. Occasionally I would turn my head to kiss him sweetly, but I mostly just wanted to bask in our closeness. I didn't need lust right now, I just wanted to revel in the amount of love between Edward and I. I was certain that it was unbreakable– after this crazy week and a half, nothing could tear us apart.

We finally got up to get in bed, reluctant to move away from each other. After brushing our teeth, we slid underneath the fluffy white down comforter and twisted into each other's bodies. Edward and I were on our sides, facing each other, with our legs intertwined. His hand was stroking my hair, and I was tracing patterns onto the naked skin of his chest. I didn't want today to end– I didn't know how the following days could improve. There was only one thing I could think of, but I wasn't sure if Edward would want to do that until his memory came back. Slow was good– for now.

I looked up at Edward and gave him a chaste kiss. He began sucking on my bottom lip, trying to deepen the intensity, but I pulled away. He looked quizzically at me.

I shrugged. "I'm tired. We can continue this tomorrow."

Edward nodded, understanding. I smiled up at him, not wanting to say goodnight.

"I love you, Edward."

"I love you too, Bella. Sweet dreams."

I closed my eyes and let the sound of Edward's steady breathing put me to sleep.

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**all together now, "awww."**

**Ok, I hope you enjoyed that. **

**Review pretty please with sugar and Edward Cullen on top! I want to know what you guys are thinking!**

**-Kathryn aka Katarina Isabella  
**


	6. Locked Up

**A/N:**

**Disclaimer: The fabulous Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight, not me.**

**To answer Electrikkk's question, Edward has always been too mature for his age. Even though in this story he's human, he still has similarities to vampire Edward. He still acts too mature and wise, and not like a 16-17 year old boy. That's just the way I've always seen him. Also, Edward and Bella's love has always been stronger and more passionate than other normal teenage love. Their relationship is different than most people's-- the love is that much more potent. Anyways, I hope that answered your question. Also, in this chapter, Edward will be resorting to teenage boy immaturity. Just thought I'd let you know.**

**On with Chapter 6! Enjoy the angst.**

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**EPOV**

I woke up the following morning with a pounding headache. I had been in and out of sleep all night, and having terrible dreams. Something kept nagging at my mind, but I just couldn't put my finger on it. The problem with memory loss was, I didn't know what was real and what was made up. The past two weeks of my life could have been a complete lie. I knew I was being paranoid, but how could I ever be sure? Obviously I trusted Bella and the rest of my family; I just had this odd feeling that something wasn't right.

Bella stirred next to me in bed, coming out of her deep sleep. At least one of us would be awake today. I kissed her forehead.

"Morning, Bella."

She opened her eyes and smiled brightly at me. "Good morning, Edward." She stretched her arms out above her head and yawned. "How did you sleep last night?"

I groaned. "Not well. I don't think I even got a solid three hours. I kept having these bad dreams."

"Wanna tell me about them?" Just then her stomach grumbled.

"Maybe you should have some breakfast first," I chuckled, patting her stomach with my hand.

"I guess you're right." She sighed and rolled out of bed.

"I'll be in the kitchen in a minute."

"Are you sure you don't want to just sleep in this morning, Edward?"

"Positive. I'd rather stay awake." I grimaced.

"Okay, I just don't want you straining yourself." Always the worrier.

"Don't worry about me, Bells. Go eat."

She walked out of the room and I flipped onto my stomach, shoving my head into the pillow. I could tell this was going to be a long day. After a week of bliss, I guess I shouldn't have been surprised at the downward slope today seemed to be. It seemed that no one was allowed that much happiness. I groaned and got out of bed, realizing that I was just as hungry as Bella.

I padded into the kitchen to find her sitting at the counter eating a bagel.

"I haven't had a bagel in _years_," I joked. It did look appetizing.

"I left you one next to the microwave, just the way you like it." Bella smiled at me, and went back to reading the paper.

"My hero," I sighed, making my way over to the bagel.

"So what were your dreams about?"

Damn. I knew I couldn't beat around the bush any longer. I shrugged.

"Oh, come on. Don't tell me you forgot them already."

"Okay, fine. I dreamt that..." I paused. I couldn't bare to think it. "I dreamt that Esme was sick." I looked up at Bella to see her frozen, with her bagel half in her mouth.

"Bella?"

She recovered. "What do you mean, sick?"

"I dreamt that she had breast cancer, and was dying." I grimaced at the thought, wanting to rid it from my mind.

It looked as if the blood had drained from Bella's face.

This time I froze. "What's wrong?"

"Um. Edward... I don't think that was a dream." She looked nervous.

"What do you mean?"

"I think you were having a flashback. A memory."

"What? How? Esme's fine!" I yelled, becoming frantic.

Silence.

"She's fine right? Bella?"

Bella lowered her head to the food on her plate. "I think we should go see your family," she whispered. What. The. Fuck.

"Bella, what the fuck are you talking about?" Now I was just furious.

She flinched away from my voice. "You weren't dreaming, Edward. It was a flashback. From about five months ago."

"Esme has... cancer?" I could barely say it.

Bella nodded slowly. "I'm gonna call Carlisle. We should probably go over there."

I didn't know what to say, so I just stood there in shock. Was this some kind of sick joke? Bella called Carlisle to tell him we were coming over, and then called the rest of the family to meet us over there. I guess it was time for a Cullen Family Meeting. I didn't want to talk, though. I wanted to punch a wall... or something.

Bella came over and put her hand on my arm. "I told Carlisle we'd be there as soon as possible."

I nodded, and went to the bedroom to get dressed. Bella followed, not bothering with modesty as she changed right next to me. We left the apartment and drove to my parent's house. I hadn't been there since before the accident– I wondered how it would look. The long drive was completely silent, with Bella nervously stealing glances at me, as I just sat there with my fists balled up, trying to keep control of my emotions. I had so many questions, and I wasn't sure if I even wanted the answers. I knew my bliss was ending. Extended happiness was impossible.

We pulled up the long driveway to my house, and Bella looked at me.

"Edward, I... I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything," I mumbled.

I turned to see her face, and realized that I had hurt her.

"I'm sorry, Bella."

She sighed and patted my arm. "Don't worry about me."

We parked and walked straight into the house, not bothering to knock. The inside hadn't changed a bit– maybe a few new art pieces added, but nothing major. We walked into the livingroom to find everyone already there, with grave looks on their faces.

"Edward." Carlisle stood up and walked over to me. "I guess we should have told you sooner..."

I looked at the floor and shrugged minutely. "There was never a good time."

"Edward, I'm so sorry honey, you don't deserve to be in the dark. We just didn't know how to tell you." I looked up to see Emse standing in front of me, holding her arms out.

"Are you sick?" I blurted out.

She nodded, tears starting to form in her eyes. "They found it early, though. My doctor told me that there's a good chance it wont ever come back."

I closed the distance to give her a hug. "Are you okay?"

"I am now," she sighed into my shoulder.

I stepped away. "Is there anything else I should know?"

Esme and Carlisle looked at each other, shrugging. "That's pretty much it," said Carlisle.

"I need to think," I whispered, walking up the stairs to my old bedroom. I needed the familiarity. I didn't know anything else. What else had they kept from me? What didn't I know? How could they ever keep something this important away from me? I surely had a right to know if my mother was dying of cancer!

I threw myself onto my bed, pounding my fists into the mattress. I let the tears fall as I stayed like that for what felt like hours. I didn't know if I could trust anybody anymore. How was I supposed to keep going along with this new life, after _this_?! Bella had been acting like everything was perfect, along with the rest of them. I couldn't stand not remembering everything important. I couldn't stand to be in the dark for one more day. My life didn't feel like _my _life anymore. I was living someone else's, I was sure. I didn't know anything, and I certainly didn't _know _anyone! They had been lying through their teeth for almost two weeks. I hated not being able to control my life.

I heard a soft knock at the door. "Edward? Can I come in?" Bella. How could I face her now. I heard the door creak open and felt her small hand on my back. "Are you okay?"

"No."

"Can I do anything for you?"

"No, thanks," I said coldly. I needed to be alone– hopefully she would get the message.

"Oh. Okay. I'll be downstairs."

I grunted, not really having anything to say. I knew I was being a jackass, but how did I know that she wasn't keeping more lies from me? I needed to just be by myself for awhile, and not be flooded with paranoia. I began sobbing again, not really caring if anyone heard. Everything was just building up, and I couldn't stand it anymore. I had been putting on a good face the past week, but now it was starting to crumble. Yes, I had been very happy, but deep down, the dread of the Amnesia was still weighing down on me like a ton of bricks. I just didn't want to inflict my pain on Bella. And now that my pain was practically intolerable, I didn't think it would be a good idea to be around her right now. Hopefully she would understand.

After another hour of silent dread, I fell asleep with my face still buried in my pillow.

**BPOV**

I sat in the Cullen's livingroom with Alice and Rose, trying to figure out how to handle what had just happened with Edward. When he got into the accident, we had all decided not to tell Edward about Esme's cancer until we were positive that he was ready– we didn't know how soon that would be, so we figured we'd just wing it. Apparently, that didn't work out too well. He had a flashback in his sleep– a dream.

Did that mean that he had been having flashbacks in all of his dreams lately? Could he possibly be getting his memory back, and just not realizing it? It's not like he could have known– these memories were foreign to him.

"Do you guys think it's possible that Edward's been having these flashback dreams for awhile now?" I asked, suddenly hopeful.

Alice shrugged, and looked at Rosalie. "I dunno, maybe. Someone should ask him about the other dreams he's been having lately."

"If he'll ever come out of his room again," Rose mumbled sarcastically.

"This sucks," I sighed, and sank lower into the couch.

"Yep," Alice said after a moment of silence.

I spent the rest of the night at the house, occasionally checking on Edward. He never came out of his room, and when I knocked on the door, he would just tell me to go away. I realized that he would want his space, but I never thought I would feel so hurt. I knew I was being selfish, and that if anyone had the right to be hurting right now it was Edward, but the feeling that I couldn't help him or even comfort him made me miserable. It was like the first night back at the hospital– I felt hopeless.

Alice, Rose, and Esme stayed with me in the livingroom while Carlisle, Emmett, and Jasper watched sports in the other room. We stayed up for hours chatting about nothing in particular, trying to keep our minds off the stress that was silently weighing down on all of us. I could barely focus on our conversations, though. My mind kept floating back to Edward in his room, being miserable and stubborn. He barely even gave us a chance to explain before locking himself in.

I stood up, feeling restless. "I think I'll go check on Edward one more time..." I trailed off.

Esme looked up at me. "Honey, why don't you just let him be alone for the night? If I know my son at all, I know that he can't talk to anyone right now. He's a pro at mentally beating himself up, but I think he needs to figure this out on his own for tonight. You can talk to him in the morning, after both of you have slept."

I had to listen to Esme, even if I didn't want to. She was always the voice of reason. I nodded and sat back down in between her and Alice.

After a couple minutes of silence, Rosalie spoke up. "It's getting late; I think I'm gonna go to bed."

Alice yawned. "Yeah, me too. I'm gonna go get Jasper."

Esme turned to me. "I'm going to go to bed as well. Bella, you can sleep in the guest room tonight. It's pretty much yours, anyways."

"Thanks, Esme." I stood up to go upstairs. "Night, everyone."

"Goodnight, Bella." Esme sighed, following Rose and Alice out of the room to haul their men up to bed.

I walked up the stairs slowly, not wanting to go to bed alone. I had gotten used to feeling Edward's body against mine these last few nights– I didn't want to lose that. I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep tonight, so after washing up I pulled out one of my old books to read. I sat in the middle of the big bed that I used to sleep in occasionally when I was younger, and turned on the lamp. Tonight would be a long night.

***

The next morning, I found myself waking up on my stomach, with the book pressed into my face. I had only fallen asleep a couple hours ago, and I really didn't want to get up now to face the day. I assumed that Edward still had himself locked up in his room, and that everyone else would be downstairs eating breakfast. I groaned and threw the covers over myself, wanting to pretend it was still dark out. I stayed like that for a couple minutes, but was startled by the sound of knocking on my door.

"Bella! Get out of bed! Emmett's going to eat all of the pancakes if you don't hurry up!" Alice yelled from the other side of my door.

"I don't care!" I yelled back, but nonetheless rolled myself out of bed.

"Bella!"

"I'm coming, hold on!" I quickly pulled on a pair of sweats and a fleece hoodie, not caring what I looked like.

I opened the door to see a perky Alice leaning against the wall. I decided to say something before she could open her mouth.

"Alice, I'm really not in the mood this morning," I grumbled before stalking past her down the stairs.

She quickly followed after me. "He's still in his room, if you're wondering. I had to threaten him to get him to open his door so I could hand over some pancakes. He probably didn't even eat them. Jerk," she huffed, walking past me down the stairs.

All of a sudden I really didn't want to see the family. I stopped where I was, contemplating for a moment. I was interrupted when Emmett walked up to me and threw me over his shoulder.

"Put. Me. Down!" I yelled, hitting his back.

"No can do, sis. If you won't come downstairs by yourself, I have to make you."

I grumbled, but stopped resisting. I really was a part of this family, and that felt good. When we got to the kitchen, Emmett put me down on a chair and Carlisle slid over a plate of pancakes.

"A fresh batch, just for you."

"Thanks, Carlisle." I smiled up at my second father.

As I shoved the fork filled with food into my mouth, Esme came over and patted me on the shoulder. "You're welcome to stay here as long as you want, sweetie. We were thinking that we'd all stick around for a couple days. It would be a good way to get some wedding planning out of the way, anyways."

"Sure, thanks. I really don't want to go back to the apartment right now."

"I understand."

I smiled up at Esme, silently thanking her for making me feel at home. I looked around the room to see Rosalie and Emmett smiling at each other, probably at the thought of their upcoming wedding in three weeks. Alice and Jasper were eating and sharing the newspaper, while Carlisle and Esme made more pancakes. All I wanted to do was talk to Edward and hug him, and let him know that everything was going to be okay. I wanted my other half with me, but I knew that he still needed more time. Hopefully it wouldn't be too long– I didn't think I could stand being away from him any longer.

My thoughts were interrupted by Alice's high-pitched voice.

"Bella, I think we need to go shopping today!"

I groaned, hating the idea. "Alice, I really don't think that's such a good idea."

She pouted. "Oh, come on! I want to have some fun with my best friend. Is that too much to ask?"

That girl really knew how to make me cave. "I don't know, Al..."

"_Pleeeeease?_"

"Ugh, fine. Let me change into some real clothes first."

She clapped her hands together in excitement. "You'll be happy you said yes, I promise!"

"Okay, Alice," I mumbled sarcastically, walking up the stairs.

***

The trip to the mall was surprisingly quick. We didn't spend too much time at any store, and Alice never forced me into anything hideous. Either she finally realized just how much I loathed shopping, or something was up. I highly doubted it was the first one.

"Alice, what's up? You've barely spoken this entire time, and you haven't been flinging dresses at me like a mad woman." I quirked an eyebrow at her.

"I'm sorry, Bella. I'm just worried about my brother. Not to mention Mom."

I sighed. "Me, too."

"I'm worried Edward wont be able to come out of this funk, unless he gets all of his memories back– or maybe that could just make everything worse. I don't really know, I just want my brother back."

"Trust me, I want him back too. I miss the Edward we know and love."

Alice touched my arm. "He'll come back, I just know it."

"I guess I can't bet against that," I sighed, sifting through a sale rack. "I'm just tired of waiting."

"We all are. But he'll be back. Edward's smart; he wont push us away."

"I don't know, I feel like I'm being pushed away right now."

"He just needs time to think."

"I guess."

We ended up only buying a couple things each, neither of us concentrated on shopping today. We did buy shoes for Rose and Emmett's wedding, though, along with outfits for the rehearsal dinner. We decided to stick with classic little black dresses; I don't think either of us were in the mood to be more extravagant.

On the drive home, I thought I'd release some of the tension by asking Alice about her and Jasper.

"So, Alice. How has married life been treating you lately?"

Her whole face lit up at the mentioning of marriage. "Oh, fabulous, Bella. I can't wait until you and Edward finally get engaged. You don't know what you're missing out on!"

I sighed, suddenly not in the mood to talk marriage, especially if it had to do with Edward and me. I highly doubted that _that_ would happen any time soon. I quickly steered the conversation in a different direction. "Mhmm. Is Jasper being a good husband?"

"He's perfect, as usual. Actually, yesterday he surprised me with a trip to Costa Rica next month– we're staying at some fancy all-inclusive resort. I cannot _wait_ to just get away from all the drama. I think he realized that I need a break from the real world, so that's what this is. We're going to relax and swim in the ocean and have sex for seven days straight!" She beamed at me.

I giggled– it felt good to giggle. "Alice, I don't need to hear about your sex life with Jasper, but that does sound fantastic. I wish I could get away for awhile. Before this happened yesterday, I was actually thinking that a vacation with Edward somewhere warm would be nice. That probably wont happen now, though."

"Oh, Bella. Stop being so melodramatic. He'll come around soon enough."

I shrugged, not knowing what to say to that. I wasn't sure if I believed her or not.

**EPOV**

I ended up spending three miserable days locked in my bedroom. Thank god for my connected bathroom, not to mention the food that Alice would slip through my door when I wasn't looking.

The first day of my self-induced lockup was the worst. I couldn't stop being paranoid about what my family had and had not told me. I barely even thought about Esme and her condition. I was being a total dick, but I didn't know what else to do. All I felt was numb. I was numb to the fact that my mother could have died; I was numb to the fact that the woman I loved was downstairs beating herself up over this; I was numb to the fact that I was hurting my family by doing this to myself; I was even numb to my own feelings. After I got all of the tears out, I just sat there in a foggy cloud of my own brain for three days straight.

I knew I was being selfish by doing this, but I couldn't figure out a better way to cope. I stayed sitting or laying on my bed the entire time, not really doing anything in particular. It was torture– being alone in my mind was painful. There were so many unanswered questions, and so much I needed to know. If this dream had actually been a flashback, could the other dreams I'd been having lately also be flashbacks? I was desperate to get my brain back, so I could figure everything out. My family wasn't being very helpful, apparently. It seemed like there was so much they hadn't told me after the accident.

More than anything, I really needed to see Bella. But I was too stubborn to do anything about that. She probably hated me at this point, and I didn't know how it would feel to see her so hurt, by something that I had done. I thought I could face her eventually, after we had both cooled off. I felt terrible to keep Bella here at the house miserably waiting for me to come out and talk to her, but being the selfish male I was, I wanted to stay by myself in my head for a little longer.

On the third and final day, all I wanted to do was hold Bella in my arms. The guilt and the anger was starting to seep into my mind; I had been a complete jackass to everyone that I loved– to everyone that loved _me_. I didn't know how I could possibly make it up to them, so I stayed in my room a little longer, trying to prolong the inevitable.

Occasionally I would hear Bella's or another family member's voice around the house, and it made me yearn to be with them and happy again. It sounded like they had gotten over the fact that I wasn't talking to them. I hoped that was the case, but deep down I knew that they were just pretending. I knew my family too well to think that they weren't stressed by this. The only two people that ever sounded genuinely happy were Emmett and Rosalie; I didn't blame them, they were getting married soon. How could they be unhappy when they were about to make their love official? When I heard Rose laugh, all I wanted to do was make Bella laugh. I wanted to hear the most amazing sound in the world. I knew it would certainly make me happier– I hadn't heard her laugh in days, now. It was completely my fault, too.

After a couple more hours of pointless speculation, I decided that I had to make Bella laugh as soon as possible. I finally rolled off my bed and opened the door to the hallway. I had been getting restless, and this was the only way to cure that. Also, I just really needed to see Bella. I walked downstairs to find it completely empty.

"Bella?"

No answer.

"Hello? Is anyone home?"

More silence. They must have all gone somewhere. I made my way into the kitchen– I realized that I hadn't since last night– Alice must have forgotten about me this morning. Or maybe she was finally fed up with me. Either way, I was starved. I opened the fridge and took out some orange juice and leftover waffles.

As I sat at the kitchen table eating, I couldn't figure out where my family had gone. It must not have been too long ago– I thought I heard Carlisle and Esme talking just a couple minutes ago. I figured I might be alone for awhile, so I went into the livingroom to watch some tv. I decided to stop beating myself up over the last three days; I was just making everything worse. Hopefully, I could clear things up with my family today, and more importantly, Bella would forgive me.

I flipped aimlessly through the hundreds of channels on our big screen tv for a couple hours before hearing the front door creak open. Emmett and Rosalie walked into the livingroom and froze when they saw me.

"Hey, everyone! Guess who finally unlocked himself?" Emmett yelled, chuckling.

"Edward?" I heard Bella gasp from the front door.

The whole family made their way into the livingroom, and all looked completely and utterly shocked.

"Hi, guys," I said awkwardly.

"It's about time!" Alice yelled, coming over and slapping the back of my head.

"Ow!"

"Serves you right!" She stomped back over to Jasper's waiting arms.

It was silent for a couple seconds before I decided to finally speak up.

"I'm really sorry, you guys. You have no idea."

"Well, we're sorry for not telling you sooner. You must feel pretty betrayed," Esme sighed.

"A little, but I can see where you were coming from. I've been really immature. I apologize."

Carlisle cleared his throat. "Thanks, Edward. I'm glad to hear that you understand."

"Where were you guys?"

"Just out for lunch. How long have you been waiting down here?" Carlisle looked at me.

"I dunno, a couple hours, I guess."

"Oh, wow. Sorry to keep you waiting..." It sounded like a question.

I nodded, and turned to look at Bella. I couldn't read the expression on her face. Was she nervous? Angry? Sad? Relieved? I couldn't tell. I needed to be alone with her. "Bella, can we talk?" I held out my hand.

"Sure," she said slowly, and walked over to me.

"Let's go upstairs."

"Uh oh, now he's gonna lock her in there too. Watch out, Bella!" Emmett joked.

I shot him a pointed glare. Fucking jerk.

We walked upstairs to my room silently and closed the door behind us.

"Bella, I'm so sorry."

"I am too," she whispered.

"For what?" As far as I was concerned, I was the only one of us in the wrong.

"For not telling you everything... For making you think that I was keeping things from you. I never wanted to hurt you, I just didn't know how to possibly bring it up."

I nodded, understanding. I walked over to her and took both of her hands in mine. "It's okay, Bella. You did what you thought was right. And honestly, it's not like you would have told me immediately after the accident. You did the right thing, I was just being an immature jackass."

"Don't say that."

"It's true, though. You think I don't realize how much you and my entire family have been hurting over this these past few days? _I_ did this, not you. It's _my _fault."

"I guess when you put it that way..."

I chuckled, thankful for Bella's understanding. "Thank you for staying."

"Thank you for coming back."

"I promise to never hurt you again."

"Edward, you can't make that promise," she sighed.

"Yes, I can. Unless there's something you need to tell me."

"No, I was just saying."

"And _I _was just saying that I completely trust you, and know that everything you do is in my best interest– and yours."

"It's true," she smiled up at me. I wiped the stray tears off her cheek.

"I'm sorry for being such an idiot. Do you forgive me?"

"Yeah, I guess I do. Just... never do that again. I don't know what I would have done without you for another day. I missed you too much."

"You know I missed you too," I sighed, finally wrapping my arms around her after all these days.

She nodded into my chest and we hugged each other closer, not wanting to break the contact. "I love you, Edward," she mumbled against my body.

"I truly love you, Bella. With all my heart."

* * *

**There's chapter 6...hope you enjoyed it.**

**Review, por favor!!!**

**-Kathryn  
**

**P.S. I just finished reading _The Host_...OH MY GOD IT WAS SO AMAZING. Officially one of my favorite books. If you haven't read it yet, go read it. NOW. And be prepared to lose sleep. I personally couldn't put it down. =]  
**


	7. Questions Answered

**A/N: I'm so sorry about the late update! This was my last week of school before winter break, so i had a TON of work to do. But now I have all the time in the world to write for the next 2 weeks! Hurray!  
**

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight and all of its characters.**

**To any of you that asked me about _The Host_, and if it gets better, it does. I have to agree with you guys that the first few chapters were extremely confusing and hard to follow, but if you keep reading, it starts to make sense. There's a lot to keep track of, but it eventually all comes together. For those of you that put it down after 100 pages, I'm telling you to pick it back up and read the entire thing. It's one of the best books I've read in a looooong time. Also, I usually can't stand science fiction, but this wasn't really written like a sci-fi book, it just had a sci-fi setting...So if you thought that it would be weird because of the sci-fi factor, you're wrong! So go read! =]**

**Enough of my rant, and enjoy chapter 7 of my story...**

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**EPOV**

I woke up with the sun streaming through the window of my bedroom onto my face. I rolled over to find Bella curled up on her side, snoring lightly. She looked so peaceful, as if there wasn't a trouble in the world. Her face was completely smoothed out in its relaxed state, and suddenly she looked much younger. She looked as though my accident had never happened, and we were still carefree high school seniors.

Assuming she had gotten even less sleep than me these past few days, I decided not to wake her up as I flipped onto my back under the familiar fluffy blue comforters on my old bed. I laid completely still, letting my skin soak up the burning bright sun, and took a deep breath.

Yesterday after making up, Bella and I ate dinner with the family and went to bed early. We didn't speak much for the rest of the night, so I knew we were going to have to talk about some things today; neither of us were mad anymore, but there was still so much to discuss. For one, I wanted to know if I'd been having more flashbacks without realizing it. Also, now that I was done being an immature, stubborn jerk, I needed to know more information about Esme's condition. If my mother had cancer, I wanted to know as much as possible. Lastly, Bella and I probably needed to talk about our relationship, along with my condition. Today was going to be long and stressful, so I rolled over to get a couple more hours of sleep.

***

"Edward."

I felt small, soft hands gently rubbing my back.

"Edward, wake up," I heard Bella sigh, bringing me out of my daze.

I opened my eyes and smiled up at her, stretching my arms and legs out to the sides.

"Morning, sleepyhead." She bent down and kissed my forehead lightly.

"Good morning, Bella."

"Want breakfast? Carlisle made omelettes."

"Mmm yeah, how about I meet you downstairs in a minute?" I needed another second to keep myself in check.

Bella nodded, understanding, and stood up. She walked to the door but stopped and turned to face me, still lying on the bed. "I love you– remember that." She smiled and opened the door.

I sighed. "Always."

Bella walked out and closed the door behind her, and I stretched my limbs as far as they could possibly go. I could feel random joints popping and cracking, and then completely relaxed my entire body. This had become another part of my routine lately. It felt absolutely amazing– I needed that stretching and relaxing like a drug. I took a couple deep breaths, steadying my pulse, and sat up. The room was impossibly bright, bathed in the sunlight shining through the big window that was more like a wall. I blinked my eyes a few times, and walked over to my dresser to find something comfortable to throw on. The past couple weeks, I had found that the easiest way to remember things was by having a routine– this was my morning routine. I lazily shrugged a hoodie over my head and walked downstairs to be enveloped in the scent of breakfast foods.

I walked into the kitchen to find my entire family sitting around and chatting happily. The mood was drastically better in this house today than it was yesterday.

"Morning, Edward," Alice chirped as she closed the fridge door with orange juice in hand.

"Morning," I yawned, still not completely awake. I walked over to Bella and slipped my arm around her waist. She grinned widely up at me and pressed her body closer to mine. "It smells fantastic in here."

Carlisle smiled proudly. "It better– I've been slaving over the stove for two hours making several servings of pancakes and omelettes." He threw a pointed glare at Emmett and we all laughed.

"I'm a growing man, okay?" He complained, chuckling.

"Em, you haven't been able to use that excuse since high school," Rosalie joked, kissing him on the cheek.

"I'm just hungry, then. Are you guys happy?" Emmett grumbled, throwing his hands in the air.

We all laughed again, and went back to eating. Once everyone was finished, they filed out of the kitchen two-by-two to go off on their own. Bella and I were the last ones left, having woken up the latest, and were enjoying our private time together.

I started. "Bella, we should probably talk about some things today..."

She sighed. "Yeah, I guess you're right." She looked up from her toast and gave me a half-smile.

"I just don't want to have anything hanging over our heads anymore, you know?"

"No, you're right... So what do you want to talk about first?"

"Well, these past couple days I couldn't get out of my head the thought that maybe I've been having other flashbacks in my dreams."

"I was thinking the same thing, too."

"Really? Okay so I guess I should describe a couple dreams I've been having and you can tell me if they're real or not?"

Bella nodded and took another bite of her toast. "Shoot."

"Hmm, okay, well last night I dreamt that I was swimming in a stream of some sort, and you were there with me. We were talking about grapes?"

She chuckled. "No, that didn't happen. Try another."

"Sometimes I have this one dream where Emmett and I are walking through the front door of our house, and the lights are off, but suddenly the whole family pops up and screams 'surprise'. I remember that every time I have this dream, the house is completely decked out, as if Alice bought an entire party store."

I looked at Bella, who appeared to be thinking this over. "Did we all look younger in this dream?"

"Yeah, maybe a couple years younger, now that you mention it."

Her face lit up. "It was your twenty first birthday party! You had no idea what was going on– Emmett had taken you to a baseball game for the day."

"So wait, it was a flashback?" I felt triumphant.

"I guess so! I mean, that definitely happened." Bella beamed at me, and I happily kissed her cheek. "Tell me another."

"I had this one dream where we were sitting in some dimly lit café, and everyone was speaking French. Then this waiter came and I accidentally ordered heavy cream with sugar. It was disgusting, I think I may have spit it out involuntarily."

Bella smiled, laughing. "Yes! That was in Paris!"

"...I did that?" I mentally slapped myself at the thought of being a stupid American.

She nodded. "It was hilarious. Everyone there was staring at us like we had personally offended all of them."

"I can see why..." I snorted, now elated that I had, in fact, been having flashbacks while I slept.

"Tell me about another dream," Bella urged, looking as excited as I was feeling.

I thought for a second, trying to remember all of the dreams I had been having since the accident. I thought of one particular dream, and blushed minutely. I looked down, hoping that Bella wouldn't notice.

"What?" Damn.

"Nothing, never mind; I'm thinking." I blushed even more.

"Oh, come on, Edward. Obviously it's _something_."

"Don't worry about it."

"You can't do that! Tell me!" She laughed, swatting playfully at my arm.

"Er..." I hesitated, not wanting to embarrass her with this certain dream.

"I'm waaaaiting," she sang sarcastically.

"It's sort of awkward."

"I don't care. I want to hear about everything you've dreamt of."

I smiled, giving in. "Okay, but I warned you."

She nodded enthusiastically, indicating for me to go on with my story.

"It's a sex dream."

"Oh." Now she was the one who was blushing.

I paused. "...Do you really own a leather cat suit?" I had to know.

Bella, now furiously blushing, snorted nervously. "Yes," she whispered.

"I guess that one was real, then." I waited until she looked up at me again, and flashed her my crooked grin.

"Oh, Edward, I'm so happy for you! Even if you're not remembering everything, little bits and pieces are making their way back into your brain subconsciously. Maybe it'll eventually just flood back!"

"I sure hope so," I sighed, and reached over to give Bella a huge hug. She squeezed me tightly against her, as if she was willing my memories to return, and scrunched her hands in my hair.

"I've been wanting to do this for a couple of days now," she sighed, reaching up to catch my lips in her mouth

I crushed my lips into her own, and wasted no time as I opened my mouth to trace the outline of hers with my tongue. She groaned into my mouth, urging me on, as I lightly bit her bottom lip, sucking and pulling on it. She pulled my hair in her fists, making it almost painful. I slipped my tongue into her warm mouth, feeling and tasting her as I massaged her tongue with my own. I put my hand on the back of her neck, pulling her face impossibly closer to mine. I felt her teeth lightly graze my bottom lip, and I moaned into her mouth, kissing her harder. She tilted her head, forcing her tongue further into my mouth, and moved her hands down to my chest.

Needing to breath, I moved my mouth to the crook of her neck and lazily swept my lips back and forth, trying to gain control of my air. Bella panted into my ear, and hugged me closer to her as she let me assault her neck. I moved my mouth back to hers one more time, placing a light kiss on her lips. I pulled away and she rested her forehead on mine, not wanting to break the contact.

"Thank you," she breathed.

"No, thank _you_," I chuckled back, basking in the aftereffects of our first kiss in what felt like forever.

**BPOV**

It felt absolutely amazing to be kissing Edward again; I had severely missed his lips on mine these past couple days. As I stood there, with Edward's arms pulling me close, I forgot about how stressful this day was supposed to be. I knew that eventually, other things would need to be discussed; but for now, I just wanted to stare into Edward's blazing green eyes and not talk about anything in particular– maybe even just keep kissing him. I was positive that I could never get bored with the feeling of his lips on mine– it still knocked my breath out every time, and I had been kissing him for _years_. Being close to him was my own personal heaven; with Edward by my side, it felt as though I could get through anything. Even the stress of his Amnesia.

"Bella," Edward breathed softly, bringing me out of my daydreaming. "I think we should go talk to Esme."

I nodded my head. "I was sort of hoping we could just stay here like this for the rest of the day," I joked, but nonetheless pulled away– unwillingly, I might add.

Edward sighed, taking my hand in his. "Yeah, me too, but unfortunately the real world awaits us."

We walked into the livingroom to find Esme and Carlisle sitting together on the couch, each with their head buried in a book. Edward cleared his throat loudly.

Esme looked up. "Oh, hi sweetie."

"Hi, mom, can we talk to you guys?"

"Sure, have a seat." Carlisle folded the page down to mark his place, and set the book on the floor.

I sat down on the end of the couch next to Edward, and rubbed circles into the back of his hand with my thumb– I knew it would instantly soothe him.

"So, what would you like to talk about? The weather? Politics?" Esme joked, knowing where this was headed.

Edward chuckled, but then got a serious look on his face. "Actually, I wanted to know more about your... cancer." He practically coughed out the word.

Esme nodded, and patted her son on the arm. "What do you want to know?"

Edward began firing off question after question.

"Are you in remission now?" Edward asked nervously.

"Yes, it's been about a month since that was official."

"Did you have chemotherapy?"

Esme nodded dreadfully. "It was horrible. My hair fell out and everything. Luckily, it was pretty fast-growing afterwards." She ran her fingers through the short hair on her scalp.

"Did it hurt?" Edward grimaced.

"I felt sore and tired a lot, but to be honest, I was pretty drugged up."

"So, what now?"

"Now, my doctor says that since we caught it early, there's a good chance of it not returning– they removed the whole tumor during surgery. I just have to remember to be as healthy as possible."

Edward nodded. "Makes sense."

"Is there anything else you want to know, honey?"

"Just tell me the next time something happens."

"Don't worry, we will." Esme smiled warmly at her son, and reached over to hug him. He kept his hand in mine, squeezing it for reassurance.

"I love you mom–dad." Edward glanced towards Esme and Carlisle.

"We love you too," Esme said, standing up. "You two should get out of this house– go out for lunch or something."

Edward turned to smile at me. "Maybe we will."

I smiled back warmly, knowing all too well how much comforting Edward was about to need from me. Esme and Carlisle walked into the kitchen, and Edward and I went upstairs to his room. I closed the door behind us and flopped onto the bed, bringing Edward down with me.

"How are you?" I asked, searching his face.

"Okay, I guess. It's a lot to comprehend. I'm just glad she's okay now."

"Me too," I sighed, rubbing Edward's knee with my palm.

We sat in silence for a few minutes, before Edward leaned over and softly kissed my temple. "Thank you for everything, Bella."

"Don't worry about it." I smiled, and turned to place a chaste kiss on his lips.

"I just...can't even imagine you not being in my life anymore. I have no idea how I could have done this without you."

I smiled weakly and laid back onto the bed. "I'm tired from all this thinking."

Edward joined me, wrapping his arms around my waist. He whispered into my ear, causing me to shiver. "Let's just stay here all day."

"You know we're not done talking," I sighed.

"I know that, but like you said, all this thinking is exhausting. Besides, we have some physical contact to catch up on."

I chuckled softly, and turned my head to kiss his chest. "So, what are we gonna do?"

"Sleep."

"No, silly. I mean in the broader sense of the word."

"Whatever we can?" Edward asked slowly.

"I guess that's all we really can ever do. But I mean, what about us? Where does that leave you and me?"

"Where do you want it to leave us?" He lightly brushed his teeth against my earlobe, and I shivered, feeling my breath becoming slightly ragged.

"I don't want to rush anything."

"Me, neither." His warm breath blew across my neck, causing the little hairs to stand up.

I tried desperately to stay coherent, but with Edward intentionally turning me on, it was nearly impossible. "Um.. I... " I swallowed loudly, trying to push back the moan that was attempting to escape my lips.

"Yes?" Edward breathed lightly.

"I don't remember what I was going to say," I sighed, fighting the urge to give in.

"Well," Edward kissed the back of my neck. "I think that we should just do what feels right." He lightly licked the back of my neck, and blew his hot breath across it.

I squirmed a little, hardly able to hold myself back. "I think...that sounds like a good idea." Edward dragged his lips from my neck up to the patch of skin below my earlobe, and down again. Unable to take it any longer, I flipped over and grabbed his lips forcefully with mine, using my hands to pull his face even closer. He pulled my body tightly against his so I could feel every curve of his muscle, and rolled over on top of me. He held up his body weight with his arms, slightly pressing up against me. I groaned into his mouth and wrapped my legs around his waist, wanting to feel him even closer. I bit and licked his bottom lip softly as he played with my hair that was splayed out onto the bed. He pushed his tongue into my mouth, sweeping it across my teeth. Just as I was moving my hands to his hair, my stomach growled fiercely.

Edward pulled away abruptly, laughing. He looked at my stomach. "Way to ruin the mood," he sighed, before rolling to my side and sitting up. "We should get some lunch. Wanna go out?"

"Sure," I grumbled, angry at the bad timing of my hunger.

Edward chuckled, and kissed the tip of my nose. "Get up, I'm hungry too." He flashed his crooked smile at me, making my heart melt briefly, and held his arm out. "Shall we?"

I took his hand, using his body weight to haul myself off the bed. "I'm in the mood for sushi."

"Sushi, it is." Edward sighed, twisting his fingers into my own.

***

I sat staring across from Edward, trying to wipe the grin off my face, as he struggled with his chopsticks. I guess they were _sort of _hard to use, but it was just plain hilarious. He was continuously dropping his salmon roll into the small bowl of soy sauce, causing his food to be inedible. Not to mention, some of the salty brown sauce would fly into the air and land on Edward's shirt. It was quite the show.

I snorted. "Edward, maybe you should give up on the soy sauce. Or the chopsticks. Either one..."

He looked up at me, obviously frustrated, and smiled. "I guess Japanese food isn't really my thing, huh?"

"I guess not."

He placed his chopsticks down by his plate and picked up a fork. "Much better," he chuckled. I smiled back at him and took another bite of my tempura. Edward cleared his throat. "This is good."

"The sushi?"

Edward sighed. "No; us. We're good together."

"We are, aren't we." I reached across the table and grabbed his hand with my own.

"So, about us..."

"Yes?"

"I think we should just go with it, and do what feels natural."

I nodded, agreeing. "Just, I think we should go slow."

"I agree completely," Edward said, squeezing my hand.

"The only reason I say that is because of the Amnesia. I don't want to rush into anything that doesn't feel right to you. You still don't really know me _all_ that well..."

"Although I feel like I've known you forever."

"Still..." I sighed, not knowing what to say. "I really want to make this work, Edward."

"Me, too. That's why I'm agreeing with you."

"Okay. It's settled then. Let's just... go with the flow." I grinned at Edward.

"Go with the flow," he murmured, flashing his crooked grin back at me.

After that slightly awkward chat, we finished our meal in near silence, keeping conversation light and sparse. After the week we had just had, Edward and I both needed a break from stressing over everything. We needed to be happy.

We left the restaurant and drove back to the Cullen's house, where we would be staying for another couple days. Rosalie and Emmett wanted the entire family together to help finish with a few wedding plans, so we were all sticking around. It was great to be with my second family again.

Edward and I walked through the front door to find the entire family sitting on the floor in the livingroom, playing Catch Phrase.

"Ummm... it's soft and squishy and you eat it." Emmett scrambled to beat the clock.

"Bread!" Alice yelled.

"Okay, what kind? It's processed!"

"White bread!"

"What brand?"

"WONDER BREAD!" Jasper yelled in exasperation, grabbing the electronic game from Emmett's hand and going to the next word.

Edward laughed, and the whole family looked up at us, coming out of their trance. "Hey, guys."

"Come join us!" Carlisle chuckled, waving his hand in the air.

We sat down in the circle and played Catch Phrase for what felt like hours. By the time we were all too exhausted to play another round, it was dark outside. The whole family had been exploding with laughter the entire game, and looking around at everyone's faces as we sat there in silence, I could tell it was the happiest any of us had been in a long time.

Esme let out a deep breath, standing up. "I think I'm going to make dinner. Any requests?"

"Mac and cheese!" Emmett said, causing the rest of us to start laughing uncontrollably again. He looked at us, confused. "What?"

"You really are ten years old, Em," Rosalie chuckled from my side. She shook her head and patted him on the back.

Emmett rolled his eyes and stood up. "Care to join me upstairs, Rose?" He smirked at her. Rosalie got up from the floor and wrapped her arm around his waist. We all groaned, knowing it wouldn't be safe for any of us to go upstairs for the next hour, at least.

I jumped to my feet and pulled Edward up with me. "Let's go rest for a while before dinner, okay?"

"Sounds good," he agreed, following me up the stairs.

**EPOV**

Once we got to my bedroom and closed the door behind us, Bella and I simultaneously flopped onto the bed, exhausted.

"That was a long day," I sighed, rolling over to face Bella. I lifted the palm of my hand to her cheek and stroked it softly.

"Mmm," she mumbled, leaning her face into my hand. "I could use an extra long nap."

"Too bad we have to make an appearance at the dinner table tonight."

"Can't we just pretend we're sick or something?"

I chuckled. "I wish– I've had enough of my family for one day."

Bella smiled and inched her body closer into mine. "It would be nice to have some more time to ourselves, but we rarely see your family so much. It's kind of nice, I think. I love your family– they are my family, too, you know."

I nodded and wrapped my arm around her tiny waist. "And they love you too. I can see that you're as much a part of this family as the rest of us. But sometimes I need a break from them all."

Bella smiled and placed a small kiss on my forehead. I closed my eyes and let my head rest on the fluffy pillow. Bella followed suit and scooted even closer to wrap her own arms around me, and we fell into a light sleep.

"Edward! Bella! Mon says dinner's ready!" Alice pounded on the door, waking us up.

"We'll be down in a second!" I shouted back at my sister, throwing my pillow across the room. "Bella, we have to get up," I said in a much quieter voice, lightly rubbing her shoulder.

"What?" She blinked her eyes a couple times before rubbing at them with her hands to remove the sleep.

"I'm sorry for waking you, but it's time for dinner." I smiled apologetically down at her.

"Oh, okay. One second," Bella mumbled, taking inventory on herself. She sat up, smoothing out her clothes and patting down her messy hair. "Okay. Ready." We stood up and walked downstairs into the diningroom.

Eating dinner, I could tell that the entire family was utterly exhausted. None of us made much of an effort to keep a conversation going, and we barely touched the food. I was putting a forkful of salad into my mouth when Rosalie spoke up.

"If you're all free tomorrow, Em and I were hoping we could all sit down and go over some wedding plans?" She asked the room, but smiled widely at Emmett when their eyes met.

"That would be fine, Rosalie," Carlisle said, swallowing his food. "I don't have to go into work until later in the afternoon, so how about we do it late morning-early afternoon?" He looked around the table, noting our silent agreements.

"Late morning-early afternoon it is!" Rose chirped, clearly elated at the subject of her upcoming wedding.

We sat around the dinner table for a little while longer, finishing our meal and making small talk. I looked over to see that Bella was finished, not to mention looking like she was about to fall asleep, and cleared my throat.

"I think Bella and I are going to turn in for the night." I gestured towards Bella, who was struggling to keep herself upright. She smiled at me gratefully and stood up.

"Thank you for the dinner, Esme, it was wonderful."

"No problem, dear. You two go get some sleep." She knowingly looked from Bella to me, then went back to clearing our plates. "Night, kids."

"Night, mom."

"Goodnight Esme."

We walked upstairs and took turns washing up in my bathroom. When I stepped back into the bedroom after brushing my teeth, I found Bella already tucked into bed, snoring lightly. She had a faint smile on her face, and I couldn't help but feel completely full of love for this beautiful woman. I crawled slowly into the bed and curled my body carefully around Bella, making sure not to wake her. I kissed her cheek softly and hugged her little form into my chest. How did I ever get so lucky to have someone like Bella in my life?

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**So there's chapter 7**

**REVIEW pretty please with Edward on top! =]**

**(and remember to read _The Host_)  
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	8. Author's Note

**Hey guys, sorry if you thought this was an update. I just have something sort of important to ask you all. Don't laugh.**

**And to Slimjimjerky, yes there will be lemons, they just haven't had sex yet....which brings me to my question..**

**When you guys are reading a lemon, what do you prefer the author calls the penis? I know this is a ridiculous question, but for me, when I'm reading smut, and the author uses a word such as cock, or dick, I sort of cringe and it kind of ruins it for me. So what do you prefer? What words make you cringe, and what words just flow with the story? So let me know!!! Thanks.  
**

**I said don't laugh...**

**Also, I'm starting the next chapter right now, so don't fret =]  
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	9. Fittings

**A/N:**

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight, etc...  
**

**So here's chapter 8, finally. Sorry about that author's note earlier that you probably thought was an update-- I just really needed to ask that question :P **

**Enjoy! The story's about to get good =]**

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**BPOV**

"Bella! Wake up! We're getting fitted for our dresses today!" Rosalie pounded on the door to Edward's bedroom. I groaned and sat up.

"I'll be downstairs in a minute!" I called back, flopping down and burying my head in the pillow.

Edward sighed from his side of the bed. "What's with our family yelling at us to wake up every morning?"

"I have no idea, but it's starting to get on my nerves." I huffed, but smiled when I looked at Edward's groggy face. "Good morning," I said, leaning over to plant a kiss on his cheek.

"Morning, Bella. You should get going." He smiled back up at me.

"Yeah, I have to get ready for hours of wedding torture!"

"I don't think you can call it torture until it's your own wedding, love." Edward winked at me. I stood up and threw on a robe.

"I'm gonna go eat some breakfast. You sleep in, I'll come back up to say bye."

"You remember to do that," he sighed, reaching out to my hand to give it one last squeeze.

I went downstairs to find Alice, Rose, and Esme, sitting around the kitchen counter chatting and eating cereal. "Morning, ladies," I said, grabbing myself a bowl.

"Hey, Bella. We're getting fitted for our dresses this morning!" Alice squealed and hugged Rosalie tightly. Esme gave me a pitiful look.

"Sorry, Bella. I know how much you hate fittings." She smiled warmly at me.

"That's alright, Esme. Anything to make Rose's wedding perfect." I grinned at the three of them and ate my breakfast.

Once we all finished eating and getting dressed, we headed to the Vera Wang boutique in Seattle. The entire ride, we were bouncing up and down with giddiness, excited to be in the presence of the most gorgeous wedding dresses in the history of, well, ever.

We walked into the little salon, and immediately began drooling over everything in sight. Esme went up to the front desk to sign in for our appointment.

"I'm so excited!" Rose squealed, running her hands over a beautiful beaded number.

Just then, a woman in all black came out to greet us. "Welcome to Vera Wang. Follow me right this way." She turned and walked through the middle of the store, and stopped when we reached a small room with mirrors and fluffy white couches. "My name is Veronica, and I'll be helping with your fittings today. Let's begin with the bride, Rosalie?" She looked around at all of our faces, and stopped at Rose, who could barely contain her excitement.

The woman pulled a dress off the rack and unzipped the cover. Rose went into the dressing room to put the dress on. She came out, and we all gasped in awe. I think Esme even teared up a little. The dress was gorgeous, and _so_ Rosalie. It was white and strapless, with asymmetrical draped layers all down the gown. It flared out at the knees like a mermaid, and had a huge, silk flower on one shoulder, holding up the dress. The vibrant white silk made Rosalie's faint tan glow, and she looked absolutely radiant. Alice, Esme, and I stood around her in silence as Veronica measured and pinned the dress to fit Rose's body. Once it was perfect, Rose did a little twirl.

"How does it look?"

"You look beautiful, honey! Emmett wont know what hit him!" Esme squeezed Rose's hand and gave her a huge smile. She then turned to Veronica. "So what does the mother of the groom get to wear?"

Veronica walked over to the rack and pulled another dress off. "Try this on," she said, handing it over to Esme.

She came out of the dressing room in a modest but sleeveless cocktail dress that had a dark plum pencil skirt with an empire waist; the bodice was black silk, twisted up into an asymmetrical neckline. It fit Esme like a glove.

"Mom, you look hot!" Alice chirped, admiring her mother.

"Thanks, Alice... Are you guys sure it isn't too form fitting?"

"I think it looks great," I said.

"Me, too. It's perfect!" Rose, now back in her regular clothing, gave Esme a big hug.

"I want to try on my dress!" Alice sighed, eyeing up the rack with two more dresses hanging on it.

"Alright, here you go." Veronica handed Alice and I our dresses, and she went back to pinning Esme's dress.

I walked into the dressing room and unzipped the dress bag. Rose had been keeping what our dresses would look like a secret, so I really had no idea what to expect. I just hoped it wouldn't be too flashy. I pulled out the dress, and was met with what appeared to be a long roll of soft periwinkle silk chiffon. I wiggled out of the too-tight jeans that Alice and Rose had forced me into earlier, and slipped the fabric over my head. Once I was all situated, I turned to look in the mirror. The dress was floor length, with a square neck and a low draped v-back; it looked like the kind of gown a Greek Goddess would wear. It was soft, flowy, and extremely comfortable. I was impressed.

I came out of the dressing room to find Alice in the same dress, except hers was pastel pink. She looked radiant. "Alice, you look fantastic in that."

She beamed at me. "As do you, future sister." I gave her hand a squeeze as I ran my eyes over myself in the mirror, admiring how the dress skimmed down my body.

"Rosalie, these dresses are beautiful! Great job!"

"I knew you guys would like them!" She smiled, proud of her good eye for fashion. "You two look like you walked straight off the runway. You too, Esme." She gestured towards her future mother-in-law, who was heading back to the changing room to take off her dress.

I stood still with Alice as Veronica worked on our dresses, pinning and adjusting until they fit us perfectly. "When's the wedding?" She asked, sliding a pin into the back of my dress.

"Three weeks exactly!" Rose chirped, smiling widely.

Veronica nodded and went back to work. Once we were all pinned up, we went back into the dressing rooms to change into our clothes, and walked out to the front of the store.

"You ladies can pick these up in about a week. I'll have someone call when they're ready." Veronica said, holding the dresses at her side.

Esme walked over to her and shook her hand enthusiastically. "Thank you so much, Veronica."

"My pleasure." She smiled and waved at us all as we made our way back to the car.

All four of us were elated on the drive back home. Rosalie was gushing about Emmett, and to our dismay, giving un-needed details about their sex life.

"Rose, I'm glad that you're happy and all, but could you maybe not discuss my son's sex life in front of me?" Esme chuckled from the driver's seat.

"Oh, sorry Esme. I get a little carried away sometimes..."

"We know!" Alice and I shouted at her simultaneously. I laughed as Rose turned from the front passenger's seat to glare at the two of us, giggling in the back of the Mercedes.

"It's not like you two don't talk about _your _sex lives. Alice, you do realize that Jasper is my _brother_, right? I don't like thinking about my little brother having sex. And Bella, before the accident, you and Edward were going at it like dogs."

I froze in horror as my face turned five shades of red. "Ugh, Rose. Let's not talk about Edward and I having sex."

Alice turned to look at me. "Wait...have you two..." She trailed off suggestively.

"Oh, no! Not since before the accident." I blushed even more, if possible.

"Why not? You obviously want to!"

I glared at Alice. "I don't want to make him uncomfortable! What if he doesn't want to? We haven't really talked about it..."

"I've seen the way he looks at you, Bella. He most definitely wants to." Rose wiggled her eyebrows at me.

"We said we were going to take it slow," I sighed, feeling defeated and confused.

"Mhmmm..." Rosalie threw me a pointed glance.

I cleared my throat, trying to end the subject, and looked at Esme. "I'm sorry, Esme. I know you don't want to hear about your children having sex."

She smiled at me. "Don't worry about it, Bella. I know it's happening, don't I? And anyways, I have to say that I agree with Alice and Rosalie."

"Wait, what?"

"Yeah, I mean don't get me wrong, I think it's a good idea to go slow, but how long has it been? Three weeks now? You must be dying."

"Mom!" Alice looked at Esme with a shocked expression on her face.

"What? A woman had needs..."

"Ugh, I do NOT want to think about you and dad doing it." Alice cringed and pretended to shiver.

Esme laughed. "Sorry, honey. But we had you, didn't we?"

"Okay stop!" Alice put her fingers in her ears and began humming loudly. Esme and Rosalie shook their heads at each other.

I patted Alice on the knee sympathetically and turned to stare out the window. I loved my crazy second family, but they really knew how to embarrass each other– and me. I thought about what they had said, though; I guess I _was_ starting to feel...frustrated. Ever since the accident, I hadn't really been thinking about what I needed– just Edward. But now that we had decided to just go with the flow in terms of our relationship, what would happen? There was no doubt that I wanted to have sex with him; after all, we had been having sex for seven years before the accident, and I didn't exactly hate it. In fact, Edward and I were pretty sex-obsessed when it came to each other. I couldn't think of a single place in our apartment that we hadn't done it already. I smiled to myself, remembering that time on the diningroom table.

"Bella!" Alice shook my shoulder. "We're home."

"Oh, I guess I dozed off or something..." I sighed, wanting to return to my memories.

I slid out of the car and walked into the house.

"It looks like the guys went to get fitted for their suits about an hour ago. Carlisle left us a note." Esme held up a piece of paper. "It says there's some leftover pizza in the fridge. How about you girls go eat some lunch? I have to do some work in my study."

Alice, Rose, and I walked into the kitchen, and grabbed the pizza from the fridge. We were all too hungry to wait for the microwave to warm up the food, so we scarfed down the entire box of cold pizza without talking, let alone taking a breath.

"Wow, I think our men have rubbed off on our eating habits," Alice joked, wiping her mouth with a napkin.

"Except they would have just wiped their mouths on their shirts, not a napkin." I chuckled, conjuring up the mental image of Emmett with pizza all over the bottom of his shirt. I shook my head to myself.

Rosalie stood up to throw the pizza box away, and Alice went into the livingroom to watch tv. I decided to catch up on some sleep in Edward's room until the guys got back from their fitting.

**EPOV**

I stood facing a three-way mirror, feeling slightly uncomfortable in the black suit I was wearing. I had never really been the kind of guy that liked to dress up; I appreciated nice clothing, but I largely preferred jeans and a t-shirt to a full suit.

Carlisle clapped his hand on my shoulder. "You look good, son."

"Thanks, dad. You do too. Although I can't say I like that tie all that much."

Carlisle looked down at his tie and walked over to the display to find another one to try. We had been at this store for the past two hours, getting fitted for the wedding. Emmett wanted us all to wear tuxedos with coattails and everything, but we immediately refused, and went to pick out much classier suits. Mine was Armani; Alice would be proud.

"Edward, what do you think?" Emmett came up behind me, wearing a ridiculous top hat.

I chuckled. "I think that Rosalie would walk out on you if you showed up to the wedding wearing that."

He frowned and walked away to put the hat back in its rightful place– away from his head.

I went back to looking at my suit, and a woman appeared at my side with pins in her hand. "Time for your fitting." She winked at me. Ugh, gross. Desperate woman were disgusting. I stood as still as possible as the woman pinned my suit to fit me better. I noticed that her hair was a revolting shade of bleach blonde, and her skin was practically glowing orange with fake tanner. I was so glad that I had ended up with Bella; she was beautiful without even trying, on the inside and out. This woman was obviously fake on the inside, just like her breasts.

I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding when she stood up. "All done," she sang, flashing her unbearably bright white teeth at me.

I cringed back a little. "Thanks," I said dryly.

I walked into the dressing room to put my real clothes back on, as Jasper went to be fitted. Emmett and Carlisle were already done being pinned, so they were wandering around the store eyeing up other expensive things.

I walked out of the dressing room to go find the right tie for my suit, and was joined by Emmett.

"So, Edward." I knew the tone in his voice– it meant he was up to no good.

"Yes, Emmett?"

"How are things going with you and Bella?" He nudged my side suggestively.

I sighed, rolling my eyes. "We're not having sex, if that's what you're wondering."

"What? Why not?"

"Because we respect each other?" I replied sarcastically. Honestly. Emmett could be so dense sometimes.

"But don't you _want_ to?"

"Well, yeah. But that's not the point." In fact, I had been thinking about having sex with Bella for the past two days straight.

"Then what _is_ the point?" Emmett urged me on.

"It's just that we decided to go slow with the relationship– and I don't really think that sex is involved in slow."

"You must be dying, man." Jasper walked up behind me and put his hand on my shoulder.

"I guess I just haven't been focusing on our physical relationship very much– technically, my mind has only known her for three weeks."

"But your body has known her for eight years." Emmett chuckled at my dilemma. "You need some ass, brother."

"Ugh, god, Emmett. Let me make my own sexual decisions, alright?" I shook my head at him.

"Alright, but I'm just saying..." He gave me a look and walked away. Jasper patted my shoulder.

"Don't worry about it, Edward. It'll happen when it's meant to."

"Thank you, Jasper. At least someone in this family is sensible." I laughed and went back to looking at ties. After a couple minutes, I found a plain silver one that went with my suit perfectly, and went to the counter to purchase it.

After a couple more brotherly arguments and pins getting stuck into our sides, we went home. Once we pulled up to the big white house, I jumped out of the car and quickly went inside. I was desperate to get away from the men in my family– they had been grilling me, and each other, about sex for the past forty five minutes. It was pure torture; I did not want to talk about sex at all, let alone with my father in the car.

The house was fairly quiet when I walked in; Alice and Rose were watching some stupid tv show in the livingroom, and Esme was reading a book in her study. I figured Bella was in my room, so I went straight to my door and went in. The lights were off and the shades were pulled over the windows, so I couldn't see anything.

"Bella?" I whispered, hoping not to wake her if she was sleeping. My eyes adjusted so I could see her sleeping form in my bed; I slipped off my shoes and jacket and slid into bed next to her. I closed my eyes, hoping to get in a quick nap before dinner– I needed to clear my head after that sex interrogation.

I felt a small, warm hand on my shoulder and opened my eyes. "Edward?" Bella whispered softy. I put my hand on top of hers, lacing my fingers into her own.

I smiled at her, waking up. "Did you have a good day?"

"I did, it was just..." she paused, searching for the right word, "exhausting. How about yours?"

"The same. Emmett tried to get us all to wear full tuxedos with coattails. Maybe it's just me, but I do _not _want to look like a penguin. Ever."

Bella chuckled. "That would be interesting, to say the least. So did you end up with something better?"

"Much. My suit's Armani." I smiled proudly.

"Nice. Your sister will be so happy for you," Bella joked.

I nodded, and placed a small kiss on her forehead. "We should probably get out of bed if we want to live through dinner."

"Good point," Bella sighed, sitting up.

I got out of bed and turned the bedside lamp on, the light making me go temporarily blind. I rubbed my eyes.

Bella turned to me. "Hey, what do you think of driving home after dinner? It makes more sense than to wait around until tomorrow; it's supposed to storm in the morning. And I could drive if you're too tired– I'm really awake after that nap."

"Yeah, let's do that; I think I'm ready to have some privacy." I smiled at Bella and pulled her out of bed. "Let's go downstairs."

We walked into the diningroom to help Alice finish setting the table, then joined the rest of the family in the kitchen.

I cleared my throat. "Bella and I are thinking that we're gonna head home after dinner. It would be easier to drive tonight than in the pouring rain tomorrow."

"Alright, honey. That sounds like a smart plan." Esme smiled warmly at Bella and I and went back to tossing the salad.

"Sick of us so soon, Edward?" Emmett softy punched my arm.

"No, only you," I smirked, punching him back.

"Okay, boys." Esme shook her head at us.

I picked up a plate of grilled vegetables and walked into the diningroom to place them on the table.

**BPOV**

Dinner went by in a blur; all I could think about was going home. I was emotionally and physically exhausted from the last few days at the Cullen house. Don't get me wrong, I loved spending time with all of them, I was just more than ready to have some privacy. I wanted to sleep in my own bed, and not be woken up by one of Edward's crazy– but loveable– siblings pounding on the door. More than anything, I wanted to be alone with Edward.

"Bella, can you pass the salad?"

I was startled out of my daydream. Who had just asked me to pass the salad? I looked up, searching the faces of my second family for the culprit. Rosalie was staring at me expectantly.

"Bella?" Rose asked, raising her eyebrows at me.

"Oh, sorry. I was daydreaming." I handed her the salad bowl. I really needed to clear my head. Hopefully Edward's lips on mine would do the trick.

We finished eating dinner, and everyone was chatting casually about nothing in particular. I helped clear the table and put the dishes in the dishwasher with Edward, and then we decided that it was time to leave. We went upstairs to pack a bag full of the few things we had with us, and met the family in the livingroom.

"Alright, Bella and I are going to head out now." Edward said, facing his family.

"Thank you so much for having us." I hugged Esme, and then Carlisle.

"Anytime, sweetie." Esme smiled warmly at me.

We said our goodbyes to everyone else, making plans to go out soon, and walked towards the front door.

"Drive safe!" Carlisle yelled from the couch.

"We will," Edward yelled back, closing the door.

We hopped into the Volvo and I let out a big sigh. "That was a hectic week."

Edward nodded, turning the keys in the ignition. "It really was... I'm really looking forward to having some alone time with you, as well." He put the car in reverse and grabbed my hand when we were safely out of the driveway.

I turned on the radio quietly and sunk back into my seat a little, hoping to get to rest a bit on the drive home. I needed some quiet time to just sit there, and this car ride was the perfect opportunity. I felt Edward's thumb rubbing small circles on the back of my hand, and closed my eyes.

"Bella." Edward was squeezing my hand, willing me to wake up. "We're home." Sitting up, I opened my eyes to the magnificent sight of our building.

Once we got to the top floor, we practically ran to our front door, ecstatic to finally be home. I think I was more excited than Edward, but that was to be expected; he had only known this as home for three weeks. Edward unlocked the door and I pushed it open impatiently.

"It's good to be home," I sighed, dropping my bag on the floor and jumping onto the squishy white couch.

"Mhmm," Edward agreed, sitting down next to me. He pulled me into his arms and chastely kissed my neck. "I love you, Bella. I don't think I've told you that enough lately."

"I love you, too," I sighed, breathing in his scent. I turned my head to give him a proper kiss, only to have him turn it into something...improper.

Edward opened his mouth against mine and grabbed my bottom lip lightly with his teeth, causing a soft groan to escape my mouth. His tongue traced the outline of my lips, and I opened them to massage his tongue with my own. His hands were running up and down my sides, and I grabbed the back of his neck to deepen the kiss. Not liking the uncomfortable position for my neck, I turned my body to straddle him on the couch. Edward moaned into my mouth and his hands slid down my back to cup my bottom. I pressed further into him and he took my lower lip in his mouth, sucking and licking it. I broke away to breath and placed small kisses down the side of his neck, and then sucked on the patch of skin below his earlobe– I knew he loved that.

Sure enough, he moaned and grabbed my face to kiss me again, this time softer, but with more passion. I sucked on his upper lip while he ran his tongue across my bottom lip, and grabbed a fistful of his soft bronze hair in my hands. He continued to slowly massage my hips, and I wrapped myself impossibly tighter against him, until I could feel his erection pushing against my core. Without thinking, I pushed my hips minutely into his, wanting to feel all of his body against mine. He moaned, and shifted his hips against me in response. Needing to breath, he dragged his swollen lips up and down my neck, inhaling and exhaling slowly, causing the hairs on the back of my neck to stand up. I moved my hands from his neck to his torso, massaging his perfectly sculpted abs. Before Edward could move his mouth back up to mine, I took his hands and slowly stood up from the couch. I wasn't sure if this was the right thing to do, but at the moment, I didn't give a fuck.

"What are you doing?" Edward breathed, confused.

I pulled him to his feet. "I've decided that I can't go slow anymore," I panted, barely catching my breath.

Meaning resonated on his face, and he stumbled after me as I walked backwards towards the bedroom, unbuttoning my shirt as I went. His deep emerald eyes blazed into mine. "Me, neither."

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**You must hate me for ending it there, don't you? Please don't throw any shoes at me, please? =]**

**I promise to have the next chapter up within two days...if I don't, THEN you can throw a shoe at me.**

**Reviews make me want to write faster! ;]  
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	10. Electricity

**A/N: First thing, I feel badly that some of you probably got a notice saying that I updated last night...it was an accident, i swear! i realized that i wanted to fix something, so, now it's tomorrow? which is today. and it really is an update.  
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**Disclaimer: The fantastic Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight, not me. Obviously.**

**Tonight's the first night of Hanukkah!!!! I have to visit my orthodox cousins today, therefore this is being published early this morning...To all of you Jews reading this, Happy Hanukkah! I hope you get some great presents and pig out on latkes and applesause! =]  
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**So here's chapter 9... the long awaited chapter 9. I don't have much to say, so, enjoy the smutty goodness!**

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**BPOV**

Edward slammed the bedroom door behind him as I jumped up to wrap my legs around his waist to push him against the wall. If I was doing this, I might as well get as much out of it as possible. My breathing hitched as Edward's tongue made its way from my mouth to the crook in my neck. I fisted my hands into his hair, soaking up the feeling of his hot breath panting down onto my neck.

Unable to stand the building pressure between my legs, I unwrapped myself from Edward's body, letting mine press up against his as I slowly slid down to the floor. He moaned into my ear, and I walked backwards, pulling him by the shirt to the bed. Our breath was coming out fast and uneven, as we fumbled with each other's shirt buttons. I quickly shrugged out of mine and went back to Edward's chest, sliding my hands up towards his broad shoulders to push the fabric away from his body.

As his lips caught mine in his mouth roughly, I realized that this was exactly what we needed. I knew that no matter how well Edward's brain was working, I wanted to be with him, always. And as Edward's tongue slowly massaged my own, I knew that he felt the same way– we were made for each other, like two pieces of the perfect puzzle.

He gasped as my hands slid down his bare torso and landed on the button of his pants. Adrenaline surged through my body as I lowered his zipper over his obvious arousal. Edward moved his hands away from my neck briefly to push down his jeans, and I impatiently wiggled out of my own pants before his hands went to the clasp on the back of my bra.

I reattached my mouth to his swollen red lips as the black lace fell to the floor, and I pressed my bare chest up against his own naked torso. Edward's lips dragged down and across my neck, my collarbone, and to the skin in between my breasts. I shivered as he massaged my left nipple with his hand while he trailed his tongue across my right. My back involuntarily arched into him, and he brought his mouth back up to my mine to suck and lick my bottom lip. A moan escaped my mouth as he pushed us down onto the bed, making sure we barely lost contact.

I could hardly stand it any longer as I felt his rock hard body press up against me. Edward pulled away from my mouth to control his ragged breathing. I could feel his hot breath in my ear.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" He panted, unable to clearly get the words out.

"Yes, please." I moaned, not in the mood for his questions. I felt his mouth turn up into a smile against my neck, and I reached my hands down to push off his boxers. He kicked them off onto the floor without hesitation, and his hands went to the waistband of my lace thong. I raised my hips to allow Edward to pull them down slowly, his eyes growing wide at the sight of me naked for the first time. He froze when he got to my feet, running his eyes up and down my aroused body.

"You're beautiful," he sighed, making me blush slightly.

"Get over here, now," I whispered, decidedly done with all the foreplay.

Edward crawled back up my body, placing kisses on my skin, and kissed me deeply on the mouth when he reached my eye level. I groaned loudly, feeling his erection pressed up against my core. I shifted my hips into his, silently urging him on. The thought of him mentally being a virgin barely flashed through my mind as he raised his hips to push into me. It was apparent that his body knew what he was doing.

My heart nearly flew out of my chest as I felt Edward sink into me completely; a perfect fit. He moaned into my ear as I undulated my hips against his, basking in the friction between our legs. My skin tingled as Edward whispered, no groaned, my name in my ear, causing the pressure to build unbearably slowly.

I softly bit into the crook of Edward's neck as he increased the intensity and speed of our rocking. The electric current between us was something that I had been unknowingly craving since the accident. Every worry and fear completely fled from my mind as my body moved with Edward's; I could feel that he wanted and needed this just as much as I did.

I moved my mouth back up to Edward's lips to kiss him more passionately, filling it with as much love and intensity as I could muster. He softly bit my bottom lip as I grabbed his hair in my hands. I could feel Edward's warm hands massaging and squeezing my breasts as I continued to shift my hips against his. His touch, combined with his taste in my mouth, was sending me completely over the edge.

Edward rocked harder against me and a loud moan escaped my lips, begging for release. He buried his face in my hair as I dug my nails into his shoulder blades– the building pressure was unbearable, heavenly, painful, amazing. I wrapped my legs around his waist, wanting to feel Edward impossibly further into me.

Feeling myself beginning to tighten around his length inside me, I pushed against Edward roughly, wanting to feel what my body craved more than anything. He groaned my name into my mouth, finally setting off the fireworks. My body shuddered underneath Edward's, climaxing simultaneously with him. Electricity surged throughout my body as I panted out his name one last time, before collapsing underneath him.

Edward's body went limp on top of me, his chest heaving up and down trying to catch his breath. I closed my eyes and loosened my grip on his body, allowing him to pull out and roll to my side.

"That was..." Edward panted in my ear.

"Yeah," I gasped, barely able to control my breathing.

I rolled over to face him, and kissed him fully on the lips. He wrapped his arms around me and pulled my body close as our breathing returned to a normal pace. I curled up into his warm chest and closed my eyes, letting sleep overcome me.

Just as I drifted off, Edward whispered softly into my ear. "Perfect."

**EPOV**

Sex with Bella was the most amazing thing in the universe, and now that I had it, I doubted that I'd be able to live long without it. I had no previous memories of ever having sex, but while I moved against Bella's perfect little body last night, I knew that it wasn't new to me. My body had known exactly what to do– exactly how to react. I may not have gotten any clear memories back, but I could distinctly remember the feeling of having sex with Bella.

I woke up the following morning with the sun shining directly into my eyes. Bella was still curled up in my arms, unmoved since falling asleep. I lightly brushed her long brown hair away from her skin and placed a small kiss on her forehead. She was truly beautiful, not to mention extremely talented. I smiled to myself as I recalled her body pressed into mine, her hips moving in synch with my own. Greatest. Feeling. Ever. The thought of Bella digging her nails roughly into my back, and most likely leaving marks, nearly made me stiff again. I rolled my eyes at myself and sank back into the mattress, wanting to prolong this perfect morning.

***

"Edward." I heard Bella sigh as I felt her hands rubbing my shoulder blade. I opened my eyes to her smiling face, and chastely kissed her on the lips. "Morning," she grinned.

"Morning, love." I stroked her hair with my hand. "Sleep well?"

She grinned at me. "Better than ever."

"Me, too."

Bella sat up, the comforter falling away, and my eyes went wide when I realized that she was still naked; as was I. She blushed when she realized and quickly covered herself with the blanket.

I chuckled. "Don't worry, it's just me." I sat up next to her and gave her a proper kiss on the lips. She quietly hummed against my mouth as her body sunk into mine, her bare chest pressing up against me. I needed to take a shower, fast, before anything could happen. "I'm gonna go shower." I slid out of bed, slipping my boxers back on, and walked towards the bathroom. I stopped when I heard Bella gasp from behind me.

"What?" I asked, puzzled.

Her eyes looked apologetic. "Your back..."

"What about it?" I walked to the mirror and turned around to inspect the damage. Sure enough, there were bright red scratches all over my shoulder blades. I shrugged, and turned to look at Bella, who was furiously blushing. "Bella, don't worry about it... Actually, it's kind of sexy."

Bella smiled at my statement, but her blush didn't fade. She raised her eyebrows at me. "Oops?"

I laughed, and walked over to the bed, where she was still sitting. "I love you, you know that?"

She nodded her head. "I love you, too, Edward." I took her hand and kissed it, then walked towards the bathroom.

"I hope these scar," I mumbled to myself, just loud enough for Bella to hear.

I stepped into the steaming hot shower, and the scratches in my back stung, reminding me of the fantastic pain that came with them. I let the scorching water relax all of my muscles as I worked the shampoo into my hair. I realized that today was the first day since the accident that I didn't stick to my morning routine, and I smiled proudly to myself. I knew it was due to the fact that Bella and I had just had the most amazing sex, and wondered if it would help cure my Amnesia. Maybe I could just talk myself into that conclusion, therefore having endless sex with Bella. That really didn't sound too bad.

I got out of the shower and looked in the mirror, further inspecting my back. Some of the scrapes were actual cuts– deep ones. I knew it was sort of perverted of me, but I could help but be turned on by the thought of it. The way Bella just took control last night– there were no words. I was hoping to get a round two at some point in the near future.

Wrapping myself in a towel after thoroughly drying off, I walked back out into the bedroom to find Bella still lying in bed. "Your turn," I said, pulling clothes for the day out of the closet.

She jumped out of bed and stopped to peck my cheek on her way to the shower. I flashed her my crooked grin and threw a shirt over my head.

As I walked to the kitchen, I decided to do something nice for Bella by making her breakfast. I wasn't the best cook in the world, but I knew that I couple whip up a pretty mean omelette, so I pulled out the eggs and cheese and started cracking.

Ten minutes later, Bella padded into the kitchen wearing nothing but navy blue leggings and a white tank top. She looked utterly sexy in her comfortable but thin, form-fitting clothing. Looking at her face, I also noticed that she looked happier than I had seen her in the past three weeks. She was positively radiant.

"You look fantastic this morning," I said, sliding a plate filled with eggs and turkey bacon over to where she sat.

"Thanks! So do you," she chirped, giving me her best grin. I sat down across from her and we ate our breakfast in near silence, only to be interrupted by the phone ringing.

"I'll get that," Bella sighed, standing up to reach the phone. I shoveled more eggs into my mouth, trying to figure out who was calling.

Bella spoke into the phone. "I think Edward and I are just gonna stay home today, actually."

I quirked my eyebrow at her, and she mouthed _Alice_. I nodded, waiting to hear the rest of the conversation.

"Can we postpone?... How about tomorrow?... Okay, see you then." She clicked off the phone and set it on the table. She looked up at me, realizing I was waiting to be filled in. "Alice wanted me to go shopping with her and Rose today, but honestly, I really just want to spend the day with you... Is that alright?"

"Of course that's alright! I was hoping we could just be alone today."

Bella let out a sigh of relief. "Good, because I'm really not in the mood to be interrogated by your sister right now."

I laughed, knowing exactly how Alice would respond to our new physical development, and waved Bella over so I could give her a hug. She squeezed me tightly against her body, and then hoisted herself up to sit on the counter in front of me, so she could wrap her legs around my torso.

I stood up and gave Bella a slow, passionate kiss. Last night had been a little more lusting than loving, and right now I wanted to show her my sweeter side. Breaking away, I placed one more small kiss on her red lips, and rested my hands on the counter next to her sides.

I pulled my face back to look into Bella's deep chocolate brown eyes, and smiled at her. "What do you want to do today?"

"Hmmm.." She thought for a moment. "This," she sighed, as she pulled my lips into hers once again. I chuckled against her mouth and moved back.

"Well that's a given– what else?"

"Let's just relax; I kind of want to just watch some tv and laze around all day."

"You are my kind of woman," I said, giving her my brightest smile.

She laughed, brushing a strand of hair away from my eyes. "Then let's get to it!" Bella hopped off the counter and sashayed into the livingroom to collapse onto the white squishy couch. I could hear voices coming from the tv as I loaded our breakfast plates into the dishwasher.

**BPOV**

I flopped onto the couch, sinking in as I turned on the big screen tv to watch Saturday morning cartoons. Even though I was twenty five years old, I couldn't break the habit of watching terrible, immature television. I had never been impressed by ridiculous soap opera's and reality shows, but good old Loony Toons always did the trick. It was a classic, in my opinion.

I heard Edward laugh as he sunk into the couch next to me, pulling me closer to his body.

"What?"

"Nothing, I just never took you for a Loony Toons kind of girl," he chuckled, winking at me. I swatted at his arm playfully, sticking my tongue out, and turned back to the show.

We ended up sitting there like that for two hours before either of us moved again, probably enjoying the mindless cartoons too much for our own good. I thought about how everything with Edward felt right, everything felt perfect– it was definitely meant to be. I had obviously known these things for many years, but to see Edward experiencing it for the "first time" made my heart soar. And now that we were having sex again, I felt like I was finally able to relax with him and truly be myself, as well as being able to complete our relationship. I didn't even feel any traces of that empty hole that was in my chest less than a week ago. It seemed as though things really couldn't get much better than this.

The cartoons finally ended, and I could feel Edward stretching his arms out behind me. I turned around to face him, and kissed him softly on the lips. This truly was my heaven. He gave me that crooked smile that I loved, and my breathing slightly hitched as he slid his hands down to my hips before crushing his lips back into mine.

I pushed back on Edward, forcing him to lay down on the couch so I could be on top of him, and bit his bottom lip. He moaned into my mouth, and I used my hands on his neck to push his mouth further onto mine so I could massage his tongue with my own.

Feeling a sudden burst of confidence, as well as Edward's...member... pressed into my lower stomach, I trailed my hands down his torso to rest on the drawstring of his pajama pants, and left his mouth momentarily to pull them off his legs, along with his boxers.

I looked up to his face, and he gave me a questioning look, although his eyes were filled with lust and want, so I just shrugged at him, and returned my gaze to his groin. My mouth returned to Edward's lips as my hand slid around the base of his erection, eliciting a small moan from his mouth. I smiled into his lips as I slowly massaged up and down his length, going from the tip to the base, excruciatingly slowly. I knew I was having too much fun teasing him, so I built up the pressure and speed of my hand movements as I tugged on his bottom lip with my teeth.

He groaned my name into my mouth and moved his lips to my neck, licking and sucking on the skin there. His breath became increasingly ragged as I slid my hand up and down his erection, causing it to become impossibly harder under my touch. After a couple more grunts, he came into my hand, which I then brought up to my mouth so I could taste him on my fingers. I would do anything for this man.

He just stared at me in awe as I pulled his pants back up and softly kissed him on the lips. "I'm paying you back for that later, missy."

I just smiled at him triumphantly. "Oh, I'm sure you will."

***

After another hour and a half of laying around on the couch watching the tv, we decided to make lunch together in the kitchen.

As we stood next to each other, spreading the peanut butter on our bread, I thought about how completely normal this felt– it was almost as if we had been married for many years, and this was just another day in the life. I sighed to myself when I thought about how we could have been engaged by now, and how we could be planning our own wedding. Now that Edward had only "known" me for a little over three weeks, I knew that we wouldn't be getting married any time soon.

Edward unfortunately heard my little sigh and turned to look at me, raising his eyebrows. "What's up?"

I took a deep breath and blew it out. "Nothing." I shrugged at him.

"I can tell it was more than nothing."

"You don't want to hear it." Truth be told, I didn't really want him to hear it.

"I do, actually."

"Just– forget about it." I hoped he would drop the subject.

"Okay, but you know I'll find out eventually." That was good enough for me. I smiled weakly at him and went back to putting jelly on my sandwich. I sat down at the counter and ate my lunch, while Edward eyed me suspiciously as he cut up an apple.

After lunch, I went back into the livingroom and turned on the big stereo, filling the apartment with classical piano. I pulled one of my old, ratty books off the shelf and flopped down on the couch to read for a couple hours. Thankfully, Edward enjoyed to read just as much as me, so he came in and sat down on the opposite side of the couch with his own novel to keep him busy.

After about an hour of complete silence from the two of us, aside from the turning of pages, Edward put his book down on the coffee table and startled me by grabbing my foot.

"What are you doing?" I asked, slightly annoyed at the interruption– I hated to be bothered when reading.

"Nothing. Keep reading," Edward said as he began giving me a heavenly foot massage. I smiled at him and nodded before immersing myself back into my book. Occasionally, I would notice Edward's hands slowly inching up my leg, but I didn't really think anything of it until I felt his hand brush against my lower thigh.

I looked up at him, raising my eyebrows skeptically. He just shook his head and continued massaging. After another five minutes of that nonsense, I dropped my book to the floor and crashed my lips into Edward's mouth, which turned up into a smirk; he knew what he was doing the entire time. I rolled my eyes but nonetheless, continued kissing him.

Eventually, I realized that his hands were massaging my inner thigh in small, slow circles. I groaned into his mouth, urging him on, and he tugged on the waistband of my leggings, pulling them down to my feet. I quickly kicked them off and continued to urgently kiss Edward's lips; today was the perfect day to go commando. Edward suddenly stopped kissing me.

"No underwear?" He chuckled.

I shrugged. "Makes things easier."

He smiled coyly at me and went back to massaging my inner thigh and tracing the outline of my lips with his tongue. I gasped as his hand brushed across my core, causing me to squirm underneath him. My breath quickened when his thumb pressed against my clitoris minutely before passing to my opening. I sighed into his mouth as he sunk a finger into me, pumping it in and out. He added two more fingers before sliding out and rubbing and massaging my clit. I was squirming under his touch, wanting to feel a release.

Edward continued massaging my clit as he slid his fingers back into me, simultaneously pumping and rubbing. I moaned against his neck and he used his other hand to massage one of my breasts. I could feel my walls tightening around his fingers, and finally felt the electric sparks course through my veins as I climaxed, going limp under Edward.

His deep emerald eyes bore into mine as he licked my fluid off his fingers, and then returned his lips to my mouth, letting me taste myself on his tongue. I wrapped my arms around his neck to deepen the kiss, and he groaned into my mouth. I smiled and slowed the kisses until we were both panting for breath into each other's necks.

Edward pulled away and smiled down at me, wiping a thin layer of sweat off my forehead. I wiggled my leggings back up my legs, and sat up with Edward as he pulled me against his chest. Heaven, I swear.

**EPOV**

After getting a hand job from Bella earlier, I knew that I had to give her one as well; I wanted to pleasure her as much as she did me, and seeing the look on her face as she climaxed was enough to make me fall in love with her all over again. She was absolutely the most gorgeous woman on the planet, and she was all mine.

We sat on the couch wrapped up in each other for another thirty minutes before deciding that we needed to actually do something productive today. Bella was the first one to speak.

"Feel like getting a workout?" She turned to look at me.

I smiled at her mischievously, raising my eyebrows.

She rolled her eyes and playfully smacked my arm. "Not that kind of workout, you perv. I was just thinking that I haven't been to the gym in awhile. Wanna go?"

"Yeah, sure. My doctor said it would be a good idea to exercise my leg, anyways."

"Great! I'm gonna go change." She stood up and walked into the bedroom to put on her workout clothes, and I followed behind to find a pair of shorts to wear.

***

Working out again was one of the greatest feelings in the world. Feeling the stiffness in my legs loosen up as I ran my fifth mile on the treadmill, I felt like nothing could touch me. Running had always been my haven, the time when I didn't have to think, and I could just go. Stray thoughts rarely passed through my mind as I pounded my feet on the ground– or treadmill– and got lost in the rock music shouting into my ears through my headphones. The gym was a place that would always be my home away from home, even when I couldn't remember the rest of my life.

After running another mile, I slowed down to a fast walk so I could catch my breath. Bella was on a treadmill a couple machines over, and I occasionally looked over to catch a glimpse of her slim body shimmering with sweat, as she ran effortlessly as though she was a world-class marathoner. My mind strayed elsewhere as my eyes wandered to her sports bra that was giving Bella the perfect amount of cleavage under her tank top, and then to her short spandex that barely covered the bottom of her butt. Her long, toned legs seemed to go on forever to her running shoes, and I was snapped out of my little fantasy when I noticed her waving her arms at me, trying to get my attention.

I turned off my treadmill and walked over to Bella, who was now cooling down.

"Enjoying the show?" She smirked at me.

I blushed slightly, embarrassed that she caught me staring. "Sorry, I couldn't help it."

"That's alright, I was watching you, too." She winked.

"Oh, really?" I raised my eyebrows at her and went to turn off her machine. "Come here." I lifted her off the treadmill and gave her a short, but deep, kiss.

"Edward Cullen, you just can't keep your hands to yourself today, can you."

I shrugged. "Guilty?"

Bella got a yoga mat and stretched and did core on the floor as I lifted weights for the first time in what felt like years. The odd thing was, I could easily lift much more weight than I thought I'd be able to– I must have spent a lot of time at the gym in the last 9 years.

After thirty more minutes, I hopped back onto the treadmill to do a cool down jog. About two minutes into the run, I felt a stabbing pain rush through my bad leg. Before I collapsed to the floor, I was lucky enough to hit stop on the machine.

Bella, seeing the whole thing, rushed to my side. "Edward! Are you okay?"

"I don't know– my leg is killing me, though." I winced as I tried to bend my knee.

"Hold on, let me call your doctor."

I sat there, angry at my hurt body, as Bella asked Dr. Browne what to do about my leg. A moment later, she crouched down next to me.

"Dr. Browne said that you've probably been straining your leg too much, and that you should just rest and ice it. If it gets any worse, or doesn't improve by tomorrow afternoon, he said I should bring you in."

I nodded, happy to not have to go to the hospital tonight. Bella pulled my arm around her shoulder and stood up slowly, pulling me up with her.

"Can you put any weight on it?"

I tried stepping down, but grimaced when a lighting bolt shot through my leg again. "Not really..."

"Alright, just hop, then. I can support a lot of your weight."

We slowly hobbled out of the gym to the car, and Bella carefully helped me into my seat and slid into the driver's side. I mentally beat myself up the whole drive home.

Once we were back in the apartment, Bella helped me hop into the bedroom, where she had me sit up in bed with my leg elevated on top of pillows, with ice packs covering my knee and ankle. Hopefully the painkillers would kick in soon.

After showering and heating up some leftover pasta, Bella brought dinner into the bedroom and we ate on top of the bed.

"I'm sorry to say this, but you're gonna have to try to sleep sitting up like that." Bella looked at me sympathetically.

I let out a big breath. "That's alright, the Vicodin will probably knock me out soon enough.

Bella nodded, and finished her dinner. She cleared our plates and turned on the small tv that faced our bed. I patted the spot on the bed next to me, gesturing for her to join me. She slid under the covers and leaned against my chest.

"Thank you so much, Bella. I don't know what I would do without you."

She turned to smile at me. "I guess it's a good thing you have me then, isn't it."

I kissed her on the cheek, and she rested her head on my shoulder. Within minutes, we were out cold.

* * *

**So...my first lemons, ever. Please don't be too harsh. *cringes* :P**

**Reviews make the stress of writing lemons with my parents in the house soooo worth it. So lemme know what you think, por favor!**

**Have a good Sunday!**

**-kathryn  
**


	11. Physical Therapy

**A/N: Hey everybody! Happy second night of Hanukkah! I got a pinkish red iPod Shuffle last night! What'd you get?**

**So if you haven't noticed, I'm now going to try and reply to all of my reviews, so make sure you're logged in when you're reviewing so I can do that! =]  
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**Anyways, I worked really hard to finish this chapter yesterday, so here it is!! I hope you enjoy it, because I personally really like this chapter.**

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**BPOV**

I woke up the following morning in the same position that I had fallen asleep– sitting up against Edward's chest. His arm was around my waist and his head buried in my hair. Shivering from the lack of blanket around my torso, I slowly curled myself under the covers, hoping not to wake Edward. The tv was still on at a hushed volume, and our dinner plates were sitting on the bedside table; I guess I didn't realize exactly how exhausted I had been yesterday.

Looking at his swollen leg, I had a feeling that Edward would be needing my help around the house today. It was my last day of freedom before going back to work– even though it was the last week of the semester, I figured it would be a good idea to grace the students with my presence at least one more time. I felt bad that I had stuck them with a substitute teacher for the past three weeks, and wanted to make it up to them.

I groaned as I got out of bed, deciding that it would be a good idea to get a head start on my day. I lazily pulled a fleece hoodie over my head and tiptoed out of the bedroom, making sure to quietly close the door behind me. Edward probably wouldn't be able to move around today, so I thought I'd make him breakfast in bed.

I whipped together the waffle batter, softly humming Clair de Lune to myself, and was startled when the phone rang.

"Hello?" I asked into the sleek silver phone. It was Alice on the other end, of course, reminding me of our shopping trip today.

"Oh, hey Alice. Actually, Edward hurt his leg last night at the gym, so I think I should stay home today to help him." She thought I was making all of this up to get out of shopping.

"No, really. Come over and see for yourself. His leg is completely swollen and he can't put any pressure on it."

After another couple minutes of bickering back and forth, Alice decided that she was coming over in an hour and a half, and she was bringing Rose, Emmett, and Jasper. The guys would take care of Edward while us girls went to the mall. I wasn't sure if I trusted Emmett and Jasper with taking care of my man, but they would have to do– I couldn't deny the fact that I was in desperate need of a new wardrobe.

I finished making breakfast, loading it onto two trays, and walked back to the bedroom. When I opened the door, Edward was awake and flipping through channels on the tv.

I smiled warmly at him. "Morning, Edward. How does you leg feel?"

He grimaced and shrugged. "It's not a sharp pain anymore, but I doubt I could move it right now." I nodded and came over to sit back on the bed. "What's this?" He asked, eyeing the breakfast spread as I placed it on his lap.

"I thought we could have breakfast in bed this morning," I said, kissing him on the cheek.

"My hero," Edward sighed jokingly as he inhaled the heavenly scent of chocolate chip waffles.

After a couple minutes of silent chewing, I turned to look at Edward. "Emmett and Jasper are gonna come over to help you out today."

He froze minutely and smirked. "Abandoning me already?"

I rolled my eyes. "I wish... I'm actually being dragged to the mall by Alice and Rosalie."

"You can't postpone?" He looked genuinely let down.

"I'm sorry, but this time I actually do need clothes. I tried to get out of it, but what can a girl do? You know your sister..."

"I _do_ know my sister..." Edward trailed off, shaking his head. "Well, that's okay. I'll just have to put up with Emmett and Jasper's idea of entertainment for the day."

"I promise I wont be a long time– I want to get home as quickly as possible."

"Good." Edward flashed me his crooked grin, eating a forkful of waffles. "This is delicious," he mumbled with a full mouth.

I chuckled, taking a bite of a strawberry. "I made it just for you." I winked at him.

"Well thank you very much, my love." He leaned in for a proper kiss on the lips. I hummed into the kiss, loving how the chocolate mixed with Edward's mouth tasted. I licked the outline of his lips, savoring the flavor.

I sighed into his mouth. "You taste good." I could feel his lips turn up into a smile, and pulled away to be dazzled by his beautiful face. "I love you," I stated simply, feeling extremely content at the moment.

"You know I love you, too." Edward kissed me on the tip of my nose and took another bite of his breakfast. "Can't you just call Alice and cancel so we can lay here all day?"

"How about this. When I come home from the mall, we can kick everyone out, and go back to laying here like this for the rest of the day. Deal?"

"Deal," Edward said, grinning at me.

"Good. I'm gonna go take a shower and get ready. Knowing Alice, she'll probably be here early."

Edward nodded and went back to eating his breakfast as I stood up and walked towards the bathroom. Feeling bold, I stripped my shirt off and flung it on the floor, just before shutting the bathroom door behind me.

"Tease!" I heard Edward yell from the bedroom. I snickered to myself and took off the rest of my clothes before jumping into the steaming shower.

After thoroughly washing myself and using up all of the hot water, I came back into the bedroom in a towel to find clothes for the day. I was pulling underwear out of my dresser when Edward cleared his throat behind me.

"You know, that wasn't very nice of you. I couldn't even chase after you to join you in the shower," Edward huffed from the bed. I giggled, turning around to look at him.

"Sorry, Edward. I just didn't want to get my shirt wet in the bathroom..." I walked over to him to remove the breakfast tray from his lap, and gave him a chaste kiss on the lips. "I guess you'll just have to wait a little longer for that fantasy, seeing as you can't stand." Oh, I was being so evil.

Edward stuck his tongue out at me. "So unfair." He angrily looked at his bad leg.

"Well, at least you have something to think about today to keep your mind off the pain." I bit my lip and turned around to fish the rest of my outfit out of the closet.

"I swear, Bella. You will be the death of me."

I shrugged nonchalantly and went back into the bathroom to change. When I came out, Edward was grinning at me like he had something to say.

"What's up?" I asked.

"I forgot to tell you, I think I had another flashback last night!" He smiled triumphantly.

"That's fantastic! I want to hear all about it, but Alice is about to get here, so do you think it could wait until I get home?"

"Yeah, definitely. I wont forget this."

"That's great, I'm so happy for you!" I walked over and kissed Edward lightly on the lips. He tried to deepen it, but I pulled away, clicking my tongue. "Save it for later."

"I'll hold you to that." Edward winked at me. Just then the doorbell rang.

"I'll be right back."

I went to open the door to Alice, Jasper, Rose, and Emmett. All four of them had goofy grins on their faces– must have had a lot of sex last night.

"Hey, Bella!" Alice walked in a hugged me tightly.

"Well you're all in good moods this morning." I raised an eyebrow at my friends, who all blushed and looked at their feet guiltily. "Okay, come on. Edward's in the bedroom." I paused, and looked at the guys. "Emmett, Jasper. I'm trusting you to take good care of Edward today. He can't put any weight on his leg, and it hurts to move it. So play nice." I tried to be demanding– tried, being the keyword.

"Yeah, whatever Bella. We can handle it." Emmett strolled past me into the apartment.

"Alright, let me just say bye to Edward." I walked back into the bedroom and gave Edward a quick kiss and a hand squeeze. He tried to get me to stay one more time, but I just rolled my eyes and walked out.

Emmett and Jasper went into the bedroom to hang out with Edward and I met Rosalie and Alice in the hallway.

"Ready?" Rose smiled at me.

"Yep. Let's go!"

We walked out to Alice's yellow Porsche and drove to the mall.

**EPOV**

As happy as I was that Bella was willing to go shopping with my sister today, I was still thoroughly disappointed that I had to spend the day with my brother and my best friend instead of her. Don't get me wrong, it would be nice to hang out and talk to Emmett and Jasper, but if I was stuck in bed, I wanted to be with someone else. I was startled out of my daze as Emmett and Jasper loudly walked into the room.

"Hey, Eddie! How's the leg?" Emmett came over and slapped me on the shoulder.

"Don't call me that, and the leg's a little painful. But not too bad." I mentally rolled my eyes at my goofy big brother. "Do you guys maybe wanna move me to the livingroom? I doubt that you want to hang out in my bedroom all day."

"Yeah, that's a good idea," Jasper said, coming over help lift me off the bed. I put one arm around Emmett and one arm around Jasper, as they hoisted me up and helped me hop to the white couch in the livingroom. I sat horizontally across it, and raised my leg onto the armrest.

Finally comfortable, I smiled at Emmett and Jasper who were sitting on armchairs opposite of me. "So, what's new with you two?"

They took one look at me, and then stared at each other silently smiling for a moment. "I think you're the one that has something new to report," Emmett chuckled.

"I don't know what you're talking about." I furrowed my eyebrows at them.

"Oh, come on, Edward. I can read it on your face." Jasper looked at me skeptically.

"I'm lost. Fill me in?"

"Alright. We can play this way if you want. What did you do with Bella the past two days you've been home?" Emmett smirked at me. Oh. How did they know?

"Oh..." I trailed off, finally figuring out what they were implying. "How do you _do_ that?" I looked from Emmett to Jasper, who were exchanging glances.

"Easy. The look on your face is the look of a man who just got laid." Emmett chuckled at me.

"Am I that easy to read?" I sighed, shaking my head at myself.

Jasper snorted. "No, you just have that post-sex glow."

"So. How was it?" Emmett urged me on.

"I'm not describing my sex life to you two. I know you'll just embarrass Bella with any information I give you." I crossed my arms over my chest in defiance.

Jasper nodded. "You're probably right."

I made a face at Emmett and turned on the tv to ESPN. I knew that sports were the only thing to get my brother's mind off of sex.

After an hour of mindlessly watching football, Jasper thought it would be a good idea to try standing on my leg. He helped me up and I slowly placed the leg on the floor. I carefully leaned a bit of my weight into it, but cringed back when a sharp pain stabbed through the leg. I huffed out a big breath of air and slumped back into the couch, defeated. I wanted so badly to be able to use my leg; I hated being dependant on other people. Emmett and Jasper wordlessly went back to watching the game as I sat there, sulking miserably.

I didn't want to feel like an invalid again. Even if my brain was starting to come back, albeit slowly, I felt like it wouldn't be any better if I couldn't even move around on my own. Being able to run freely last night was one of the most fantastic feelings in my life– I didn't feel weighted down by my accident for once. But now, sitting here practically crippled, all I wanted to do was throw the remote control at the wall. I decided to do something about it.

"Hey, you guys, I think I should go see Dr. Browne this afternoon. I want this to heal as quickly as possible. Can you drive me over there?"

Jasper looked up from the tv and nodded. "Sure, man. That's understandable."

***

I sat on the paper-covered examining table, groaning in pain as Dr. Browne stretched and pulled my leg. My physical therapy appointments had always been uncomfortable and difficult, but today it just hurt.

"Well, it looks like you've been putting too much stress on your leg, too soon. What have you been doing?"

"Yesterday was the first time I worked out since the accident– I guess I just never rested it enough to begin with."

"Yeah, looks that way. You have to remember that your body needs to heal, Edward, and it can't do it on its own. You were lucky enough to almost completely heal quicker than expected, but just because you're out of a cast doesn't mean you can start putting pressure on your leg. Your bone healed miraculously fast– there were always going to be some repercussions." Dr. Browne looked down at his clipboard, scribbling out some notes. "Promise to start taking better care of yourself?"

"I promise," I sighed. I certainly didn't want this to happen again– I was done with this whole crippled thing, as far as I was concerned. "So what now?"

The young doctor took off his glasses and set down his clipboard. "Now, you need to go home and rest, take some painkillers, and no more stressful physical activity for another two weeks. I want you to stretch your muscles carefully everyday, and make sure to warm up beforehand– fifteen minutes of walking on a treadmill should do the trick. Definitely no running."

He looked up at me, scrutinizing my face, and I nodded. This time around, I would definitely listen to the doctor's orders. "I promise I'll behave," I chuckled, raising my hands.

"I'm sure you will. Have a nice day. Call me if anything changes for the worse, okay?"

"Will do, doc." I shook his hand before hopping off the table with my new set of crutches. I figured if I couldn't go to the gym, at least my triceps would be getting a good workout every time I walked. And now I wouldn't have to count on Bella or my brothers to help me hobble around.

I went out to the waiting room to find Emmett and Jasper playing with a bunch of ten year old boys at a wooden train set. I rolled my eyes at my immature brother and best friend and slowly made my way over to them.

"Emmett, Jasper. Time to go. You can pretend to be ten years old once you get me back to the apartment."

"Chill out, bro. We were bored waiting for you to come out of your appointment," Emmett said, exasperated. I patted him on the shoulder and turned around to hobble out of the hospital. Finally, I could go home to Bella.

***

Emmett, Jasper, and I opened the door to the apartment to find Bella, Alice, and Rosalie modeling their new clothing for each other in the hallway. We all stared as Bella sashayed her way up and down the makeshift "runway", twirling the fabric of her skirt as she moved. My siblings had told me that she had always been extremely clumsy, but I just didn't see it– she must have grown out of that phase long ago, because all I could see was a graceful, beautiful woman.

Rose and Alice applauded loudly, bringing me out of my daze, and Emmett and Jasper whistled. Bella spun around quickly, having just realized that we were here, and furiously blushed.

Her eyes grew wide. "How long have you guys been standing there?"

"Long enough," Emmett sighed, and Rosalie came over and smacked him on the arm. "Ow!"

I rolled my eyes and turned back to Bella, who looked completely embarrassed– adorably so. She also looked utterly sexy, standing there in a deep v-neck royal blue tank top and short silver skirt. Not to mention the five-inch stilettos strapped to her feet. I spoke in as even of a voice as I could muster. "Alright, everyone leave. Now."

Alice, Rose, Emmett, and Jasper gave me one knowing look before shuffling out of the apartment, barely saying goodbye. Bella turned to walk to the bedroom, but I hooked my arm around her waist just in time.

"Not you." I smiled at Bella, spinning her around to face me.

"How do you feel?" She asked politely.

"I was feeling like crap earlier, but now I feel fantastic." I used the arm not holding up my crutches to pull her little body closer to mine. "You look really sexy in that, by the way."

Bella blushed, looking at her feet. I cupped her chin in my hand, forcing her to look at me.

"Did you have a good time shopping?"

She nodded, and I could see her neck move as she swallowed. Oh, how I wanted to kiss that neck. "I bought everything I needed," she breathed unevenly.

"That's good," I said, gazing intensely into her bottomless eyes.

"Maybe you should lie down," Bella sighed, eyeing my leg. I nodded and followed her into our room. There were shopping bags strewn all across the bed, and Bella swept them off quickly with her arm. I made my way over to the bed, and sat down on the edge as Bella stepped into the bathroom for a moment. I tried to steady my breath, but failed miserably when my mind wandered to the other night. I decided to just give in to my impulses for once in my life and scooted into a sitting position against the headboard, dropping my crutches to the floor.

My eyes nearly bulged out of my head when Bella walked into the room wearing nothing but her bra and underwear, and those damn sexy high heels. My eyes selfishly roamed all over her body as she made her way to the bed. She crawled up next to me, and swung her leg over my lap, straddling me.

My breathing hitched in my throat when Bella's cold fingers reached under my t-shirt, sliding it up and off my body. She then moved down my legs to carefully slide off my pants, making sure not to disturb my hurt leg. She slid slowly back up to straddle me again, this time fisting her little hands into my hair as her lips crashed into my own.

I hungrily pushed my tongue into Bella's mouth, wanting to fill my senses with her amazing taste. I roamed my hands down her neck to her chest, and she gasped as I squeezed and kneaded her already aroused breasts roughly through the thin lace of her bra. I felt her nipples instantly harden under my touch, and she arched her back to press further into my hands.

She leaned back against my legs and I worked my mouth down, following the trail of my hands to her breasts, and used my hands to unclasp her bra behind her back as my lips dragged over her perfect cleavage. I grabbed her right nipple in my mouth, and bit it lightly.

Bella moaned and arched her back again into my mouth, this time simultaneously grinding her hips into me. I felt myself get harder in anticipation, and my breathing sped up as Bella's hands dipped under the waistband of my boxers and wiggled them down my legs. She stared at my obvious arousal momentarily before sliding out of her own underwear and moving back up to straddle me.

I groaned at the feeling of my erection pressed against her warm, soft core. Bella's mouth returned to mine and I eagerly sucked on her bottom lip and her hands wandered around my bare chest, using her fingers to outline every curve of muscle. I shivered under her touch, involuntarily bucking my hips up into her. She moaned into my mouth and dragged her nails down my chest, urging me on.

My hands returned to her hard breasts, wanting Bella to enjoy this as much as possible. I could feel her getting wet on top of me, and unable to take it any longer, I lifted her up to allow her to slide over me wholly. I moaned loudly into her neck as she moved against my erection, growing harder every moment. Bella slammed her body against mine, not bothering with the mushy romantic bullshit. This was pure lust– and fuck, was I lusting.

I eagerly pushed my hips into Bella, making her moan my name loudly; it was officially my favorite sound.

"Fuck, Bella," I groaned into her ear when I felt her twisting and grinding on top of me. I bit and licked her earlobe as I felt the pressure increasing unbearably in my lower stomach. Bella's breathing was coming fast and uneven against my neck, and her nails roughly dug into my chest, eliciting a loud grunt from my mouth. She moaned and returned to sucking on my bottom lip, continuing her steady rocking into my hips.

She pulled back from my mouth and I watched her face twist and contort in pleasure, her forehead covered in a thin layer of sweat. Her lips were red and swollen from kissing, and I gazed at her in awe as she slammed roughly down onto me, her breasts moving up and down with the rhythm of her body. I knew it wouldn't take too much longer as my toes curled and I tightly grabbed the sheets below me with my fists.

I let my head fall back against the headboard as I felt twinges of electricity surge through my veins. I shoved my hips into Bella, quickening our steady pace. She moaned my name loudly before her whole body shuddered against mine, finally finding her release. I thrust into her one more time before climaxing, falling back limply onto the bed as the bliss ran through my body in huge waves.

Bella was pressed up against me, her face buried in my neck, as her chest heaved in and out with heavy breaths against mine. I wrapped my arms around her and closed my eyes, bathing in her scent.

After a few minutes of steadying our breathing, I felt Bella's hands sweeping my hair off my sticky forehead. I opened my eyes to see her grinning, and looking gorgeous as usual. I ran the palm of my hand from her temple down her cheek, and kissed her lightly on the lips.

"You're gorgeous, Bella."

She smiled, giving me another kiss. "So are you." She rolled off of me and pulled the covers over our naked bodies, snuggling up next to me. I tangled her little fingers into my hand and pressed my lips to the top of her head. She turned and placed a kiss on my chest.

"Beautiful Bella," I sighed, never wanting this perfect moment to end.

**BPOV**

I closed my eyes, leaning up against Edward's bare torso. I wanted to just lay like this forever– I was almost selfish enough to suggest it. We sat in bed for what felt like hours before Edward's stomach grumbled, breaking us out of our daze.

I turned to look at him, and he shrugged. "I forgot to eat lunch." I rolled my eyes at the beautiful man next to me and slid out of bed, slipping on a robe before leaving the room to make a sandwich for Edward.

After quickly putting together a simple peanut butter and jelly sandwich, I padded back into our room to join Edward in bed. I slid in next to him, handing over his food, and suddenly remembered a conversation from earlier.

"Wait, Edward. I forgot to ask. What was your flashback?"

He smiled brightly and bit into his sandwich, thinking. After a moment, his eyes lit up and he spoke. "I think it was our first date."

"Really?" I urged him on, wanting to know more.

"Yeah... You said our first date was in the meadow with a picnic, right?"

I nodded, excited at the prospect of Edward remembering our relationship.

"I dreamt that we were lying in the meadow, and you were running your hand lightly up and down my arm– that felt amazing, by the way. I remember there was a basket of food next to us and the sun was shining down too brightly for Forks. We also looked much younger, which is how I figured it was our first date. We seemed sort of...awkward with each other– nervous."

I nodded, remembering our first date like it was just yesterday. Smiling at Edward, I lightly pressed my fingertips into his forearm and dragged my hand slowly up and down his muscles.

"Mmm, amazing," he hummed, closing his eyes. I kissed him softly, tracing the outline of his lips with my tongue, tasting the peanut butter from his sandwich. Edward kissed back, lightly grabbing my tongue with his teeth, making me hungry for more. I pulled away, realizing that I was actually hungry for real food, too.

"I need to eat something. I'll be right back." I placed one more small kiss on Edward's lips before quickly walking to the kitchen to make myself a sandwich.

I rejoined Edward in bed, and ate my late lunch in silence as he repeatedly ran his fingers through my hair and massaged my scalp.

After we both finished our food, I got out of bed and pulled on some comfortable clothes before helping Edward get dressed as he balanced on crutches. We went into the livingroom and curled up on the couch together, turning on the tv quietly to the news.

"So, how horrible were Alice and Rosalie at the mall today?" Edward smirked at me, pulling me closer.

"Oh, you know, the usual... Actually, not bad. I think it's because I _wanted_ to shop today, unlike the usual shopping trips that I'm unwillingly dragged to. I needed some new clothes, and I got them."

"Will you model the rest of them for me later?" Edward raised an eyebrow at me questioningly.

"Hmm, I dunno. Maybe if you grovel and beg? I think I've had enough modeling for one afternoon."

"Oh, I don't know about that, Bella. I think you would do it for me."

"Do you, now?" I gave him a pointed look.

"Oh, yes. Actually, I can guarantee that you'd do it for me."

"Is that right, Mr. Cullen?"

"That's right. I doubt I'd even have to beg much."

I put my finger to my lips thoughtfully. "Well, maybe later." I winked at Edward.

"I'm holding you to that."

I smiled at him. "I have no doubt."

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**I'll try my best to have another chapter up tomorrow. I just love Winter Break, don't you? =]**

**Reviews are my favoriiiiite!  
**


	12. The Sort of Real World

**A/N: First of all, I don't own Twilight. You know that.  
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**Second of all, sorry I couldn't update yesterday. Not only was I busy, I've been having a bit of writer's block the past couple days. But here it is, nonetheless.**

**Anyways, Merry Christmas Eve!!! And to all my fellow Jews, Happy fourth night of Hanukkah!!! I hope everyone's getting great presents and eating lots of good food. **

**Enjoy!**

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**BPOV**

I woke up the next morning with the feeling of dread hanging over me; I had to go back to work today. The past three weeks had been such a crazy whirlwind, but now I had to go back to the real world. I felt terrible about leaving Edward alone for the day, especially since he could barely move around on his own, but it had to happen sooner or later.

I slid out of bed, trying not to stir Edward, and tiptoed out of the room to the kitchen. If I couldn't spend the day with the love of my life, I would at least make him breakfast and leave a sandwich in the fridge for later. I quickly whipped up a batch of chocolate Belgian waffles and sat at the counter to eat my own breakfast when I heard Edward's crutches coming up behind me. I turned around to smile at my gorgeous man.

"Morning, Edward."

He hobbled over to my side of the counter and kissed me on the cheek. "Good morning, love." I handed him his plate of waffles and watched him shovel them into his mouth like he hadn't eaten in days.

"Eat much?" I raised an eyebrow at him.

He rolled his eyes and set his fork down. "I'm just really hungry this morning for your delicious breakfast. Thank you, by the way."

"No problem. I can leave a sandwich in the fridge for you today, also."

He looked at me, confused. "Going somewhere?"

I frowned. "I have to go back into work today, remember?"

"Oh yeah. I guess it slipped my mind." Edward looked down at his breakfast, frowning.

"I'm sorry. I really wish I could stay home with you, but it's the last week of the semester, and I have to watch my student's projects and grade them. I feel bad enough that I've left them with a substitute for the past three weeks." I reached over to squeeze his hand.

Edward looked up at me and smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "It's fine, I understand. I guess I've just been so wrapped up in this little world of ours lately."

I sighed. "Me, too." I wished it could always be like that. "I promise that when I get home this afternoon, I'm all yours."

"What time do you get home?"

"Sometime around four, hopefully. I'm gonna try to stay after my classes so I can do paperwork there, and not back here."

Edward nodded and finished his breakfast. "That was phenomenal, as usual." He smiled at me, putting our empty plates in the dishwasher.

I grinned back and walked up to him, snaking my arms around his waist. "I don't want to go back to the real world today," I sighed, wishing to stay in Edward's arms forever.

He pulled me closer into his chest and kissed the top of my head. "I know, but someone has to make some money, right?" He chuckled.

"I guess so." I reached up and planted a kiss on his lips. "Mmm, you taste like chocolate."

"So do you," he murmured into my mouth. I licked his lips, causing him to open his mouth to allow my tongue entrance. His tongue massaged my own, as his hands slid up and down my back, causing tingles to spread throughout my body. I sucked on his bottom lip and my hands lightly played with his hair. Edward slowed the kiss and softly pecked me on the lips. He chuckled.

"Don't you have to get to work?"

I groaned, but pulled away. "I guess I should go shower now." Edward squeezed my shoulder and sat down at the counter to read the paper as I walked to the bathroom and stepped into the hot water.

I was seriously not looking forward to working today. I loved my job and everything, but I loved spending time with Edward much more. We had been caught up in our own little world lately, and it had been perfect. I was worried that me going back to work would upset the balance– Edward might feel bad about not being able to get back to his real life, seeing as he still hadn't gotten his memory back, and he couldn't exactly be a doctor if all he could remember was from back in high school. Cardiology was a difficult profession, something that takes years of medical school to learn. If Edward never got his memory back, he probably wouldn't be able to return to the hospital. I desperately hoped that he would get his memory back, and soon.

I stepped out of the shower and dried off before going into the bedroom to pick out an outfit for my first day back at work. Edward was sitting on the bed, reading a book, when I came in. He looked up and smiled at me, setting the hardcover novel down on the bedside table.

"I have no idea what to wear to work today," I groaned, not wanting to look like a frumpy mess that hadn't been doing anything with her life for the past three weeks. "Any suggestions?" I turned away from my closet to face a smiling Edward.

"Anything you wear looks fantastic, Bella."

I rolled my eyes. "Okay, fine, but that leaves a lot of options, right? I'm so bad at decision making when it comes to clothes– that's what I have Alice for, anyways."

Edward laughed and came over to search the closet with me. After a few minutes, he pulled out a grey tweed skirt-suit and a royal blue silk blouse. "This should be perfect." He held it up to me.

"Since when did you become so fashion-savvy?" I quirked an eyebrow at him.

"Since growing up with Alice, I suppose... Get dressed, you don't want to be late."

I gave Edward a pointed look and put on the outfit, which was in fact perfect. I slipped on a pair of black patent-leather heels before grabbing my briefcase and walking towards the door. I turned to Edward, who was now pouting playfully in my direction. I sighed loudly and walked over to him to plant a big kiss on his lips.

"That'll have to last you until this afternoon," I joked, smoothing his hair away from his eyes. He smiled at me and opened the door.

"Have a good time at work, Professor Swan."

"Why thank you, Dr. Cullen. Have a good time lazing around the apartment while I'm gone."

"I'll try," he sighed, before pecking me on the lips one last time. I smiled at him and walked out of the door to go to work.

***

I sat at my old mahogany desk in the front of the classroom as student after student presented their final project to the class. They each had to do an in-depth research paper and project about a deceased artist of their choice. I was taking notes, grading them as they went. A couple students obviously weren't well prepared, while a couple made everyone else look like complete slackers. I felt bad for the students presenting after _those_ kids. When I was in school, I always dreaded having to present my projects directly after a perfect student. It always managed to take a bit of a blow on my self-esteem.

When I had gotten to my class this morning, my students greeted me with a warm welcome. One of them had even baked cookies for me to bring home to Edward. They had all met him in the past– he would occasionally drop in on his days off to watch me teach and then take me out for lunch. For some reason, he loved watching me teach; I didn't really get it– I wasn't _that_ interesting. But then again, Edward loved to be a part of every section of my life, including work.

In return, I knew all of the staff at the hospital. At least twice a week when I had a gap in my schedule I would bring him lunch, knowing that he never had time to take a break. Edward had always been such a busy man; even if he didn't realize it, the past three weeks was the first time since probably middle school that Edward had taken a break. Before the accident, I had been worried that he was over-working himself, never stopping or slowing down. He was more energized this past week than I had ever seen him before, and truthfully, it made the whole accident situation a little easier to take. Edward deserved a vacation from his crazy hectic life more than anyone else I knew; he was even worse than Carlisle, who has never slowed down the entire eight years that I have known him.

Remembering that I was supposed to be grading my students at the moment, I snapped out of my daydream and focused on the small, lanky girl standing in front of the class. The girl, Violet, was visibly nervous– her hands were slightly shaking the paper she was holding, and I thought I could see a thin layer of sweat forming on her forehead. She was an extremely bright, capable student, but always had a hard time standing up in front of the whole class. I couldn't blame her, though; she was a freshman taking a senior course. She had always reminded me of myself when I was in high school. She was a sort of mousy, plain girl, who spoke quietly and rarely. She was very eloquent, just perpetually nervous. I almost pitied her, but then again, she was brilliant.

Violet finished her presentation and went back to her seat. I quickly scribbled a few notes down, decidedly giving her an A, and returned my gaze to the class. "Very well done, Violet. Your depiction of Van Gogh was quite eloquent." She smiled nervously and bowed her head down, returning her gaze to her fingernails. "Alright, next up is Ben." I looked up to see my least favorite student walk down the aisle to the front of the classroom. I sat back in my chair, knowing this would be a long one, and gestured for him to proceed.

As the student spoke, I guiltily let my mind wander to what Edward could possibly be doing at home right now. I sighed to myself, wishing that I was there with him. Hopefully he wasn't _too_ bored.

**EPOV**

I groaned in annoyance and flipped to another tv channel. I had been camped out on the couch in the livingroom for the past couple hours, wasting time as Bella was at work. This was officially the most boring day of my life. Probably. Not only did I not have Bella or my family to amuse me, there was absolutely nothing on the television. I had already skimmed distractedly through a book earlier on, and now I wasn't in any sort of mind set to read another.

My stomach grumbled in hunger, so I hoisted myself up with my crutches and hobbled into the kitchen to eat the turkey sandwich that Bella had left for me this morning– thank god for Bella. The only thing keeping me from being in a terrible mood today was the thought of spending time with her when she came home in a couple hours. I hoped that she was having a better time at work than I was having at home.

I never let my mind wander to darker places, knowing that it would take a lot to pull me out this time. I refused to sulk about my condition; that wasn't going to help me get my memory back. After mindlessly flipping through channels on the tv, I landed on the Charlie Brown Christmas Special. I had no idea why they were showing Christmas movies in June, but it was something that I recognized from my childhood, so I sunk further into the couch and watched the cartoon.

***

After another two hours of being bored out of my mind, and having not moved an inch from my spot on my couch the entire time, I finally heard the front door creak open, followed by light footsteps.

"Bella?" I called, suddenly feeling too lazy to get up on my crutches and hobble over to see her.

"Hey Edward!" She called from the hallway. "I'll be in there in a second, I just want to change out of these clothes!" I heard her heels tap against the wood floor into our bedroom, and turned the tv off. I sighed in relief when the realization that my boredom was over for the day, and that my Bella was finally home, sunk in.

I sat up on the couch when I heard Bella walking into the room. I turned and gave her my best smile, and her whole face lit up in reaction. She walked over and sat down next to me. I took her hand in mine and lightly kissed her knuckles.

"How was work?"

"It was actually really nice to be back, but exhausting at the same time. Who knew sitting in a chair and listening to students talk for hours on end was such a tiring job?"

"I'm glad you're home," I sighed, looking into her beautiful brown eyes.

"Me, too. How was your day?"

I groaned. "Boring. But not terrible. I pretty much sat here the entire time."

"Mind if we sit here a little longer? I need to clear my head," she said, rubbing her forehead with her free hand.

"Sure." We curled up against each other on the couch and turned on the tv to watch the news. After a couple minutes of silence, the phone rang. I leaned over the couch to pick it up.

"Hello?" It was Alice on the other end, of course. We were essentially being forced to go clubbing with the group tonight. I hung up after bickering with my little sister for a few minutes, and turned to Bella with a look of apology on my face.

"I'm really sorry, but we're being forced back to that club tonight. Alice says that if we don't go, she's personally dragging us on a day-long shopping spree this weekend."

"But you can't even walk, let alone dance."

"I know. I guess we'll just have to stay at our table the entire night."

Bella rolled her eyes. "What time are they meeting us here?"

"I was actually thinking that we would just drive ourselves and meet them there, so we can leave early if we want... We're supposed to meet them at nine, so that gives us just enough time to take a quick nap right now." I needed more energy to spend time with my family tonight.

"Ooh, that sounds like a fantastic idea. I'm literally struggling to stay awake."

Bella helped me up from the couch and we made our way to the bedroom. I slipped off my jeans and crawled into bed to curl up around my shivering love. She scooted herself into my chest and let out a deep breath. I slowly stroked her hair until I could hear her steady and quiet breaths coming out, signaling that she was asleep. I let all thoughts of the day flee from my mind as I finally fell asleep.

***

"Edward."

I stirred awake, coming out of a very vivid nightmare of going underwear shopping with Alice and Rosalie.

"Edward, wake up. It's six o'clock," Bella whispered in my ear, tussling my hair with her hand.

"Mmm can't we just stay here?"

"Not if you don't want to go shopping with your sister this weekend."

I grumbled and sat up reluctantly. "Alright let's get ready."

Bella got out of bed and walked to the bathroom. "I'm gonna take a quick shower."

I nodded my head and went over to the closet to find something to wear. After picking out a light blue button-up and my usual pair of dark jeans, I went into the kitchen to order in Indian food for dinner. I had a feeling that Bella wasn't in the mood to cook tonight.

Just as I put the phone back down, Bella walked into the kitchen wearing a baggy t-shirt and jean cut-offs, her hair still wet. I raised an eyebrow at her.

"Going casual tonight?"

She rolled her eyes and walked over to me. "I'll get dressed before we leave. Who was on the phone?"

"Oh I was just ordering dinner for us."

"Ooh what are we having?" She asked, resting her small hands on my hips.

I smiled down at her. "Indian, your favorite."

She stood up on her tippy toes and kissed me lightly. I used my hands to pull her face closer to mine, and briefly deepened the kiss. She sighed into my mouth and pulled away.

"Save it for tonight, mister." Bella smirked at me and lifted herself up to sit on the counter. She held out her arms to me and I tightly hugged her body against mine. I felt her lips on the top of my head and sighed.

"I don't want you to go back to work tomorrow."

"I don't want to leave you alone, either. But I only have four more days of work. Then we have the entire summer to ourselves." She smiled at me and I winked back.

After a couple more minutes, the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it," Bella said, hopping down from the counter. I got two plates out from the cabinet and sat down at the table. I could smell the delicious spices wafting into the air as Bella walked into the diningroom with a bag full of food. "This smells delicious," she said, inhaling the heavenly aroma.

She sat down and I pulled out the boxes of spicy Indian food. We ate in relative silence before Bella stood up to go get ready for our night out.

**BPOV**

I slid into a simple black strapless dress and bright red peep-toe pumps before sitting down to figure out what to do with my hair. It never behaved on its own– I had no idea how Rosalie ever got my hair to stay up, but somehow her magical hands could work wonders on it. I decided to go simple by quickly flat-ironing my long brown hair so it would be pin-straight, and moved on to makeup. Unfortunately, I was even more hopeless in the makeup department than hair. In all of the "smokey eye lessons" that Alice had tried to give me in the past, I could never seem to figure out how to not make it look like I had a black eye. So I stuck with what I knew and lined the rims of my eyes with plum eyeliner and swept two layers of mascara on my eyelashes, finishing the look off with a quick swipe of clear lip gloss.

After fussing with my hair for another couple minutes, I walked into the livingroom to find Edward watching sports. I rolled my eyes to myself and joined him on the couch, not wanting to spend one extra second balancing on my five-inch heels.

Edward took one look at me and bit his lip. "You look unbelievably gorgeous in that. How am I supposed to keep my hands off of you?"

I giggled and patted his hand. "Well, Edward. You'll just have to control your urges for little while longer. I doubt that I could recreate this look if we mess it up, so you'll just have to wait until we get to the club. But you wont have to take your hands off of me once we're there. I promise."

He raised his eyebrows at me. "How much longer until we leave?" I checked the clock on the tv and sighed in relief. I desperately wanted to touch Edward.

"We can get going in like twenty minutes. I wouldn't be surprised if everyone else is there earlier than planned."

Edward nodded and flashed me his crooked grin. I squeezed his hand in my own and he twisted his fingers into mine, not wanting to break the contact. I turned my head away to watch the tv and felt him press his lips into my temple. I could hear Edward inhale deeply against my hair. "You smell amazing. Are you wearing a new perfume?"

I shrugged. "I think it's just the Indian food."

"In that case, you should eat Indian food every day." He sighed into my ear.

"Alright, Edward. Move away. Hands off until we get to the club." I winked at him.

"Fine," he grumbled jokingly before sliding to the other end of the couch. I gave him a pointed look and stood up.

"I'll be right back. I want to go find my purse before we leave."

Edward nodded and I walked into the bedroom to pull out my new gray YSL bag. I sighed as I touched the creamy smooth leather of the handbag that Edward had bought me recently before the accident. He had seen me drooling over it while we were on a rare shopping trip together. The following day, I woke up with the bag next to me in bed. Let's just say, Edward got a nice gift or two, or three, of his own that night.

I walked back out into the hallway. "Edward, we should probably leave now," I called to him in the livingroom.

He slowly walked over to me, and I gave him a skeptic look. "No crutches tonight?"

"They get in the way. Besides, if we're just going to be sitting the whole night, there's no point in bringing them."

"Okay," I sighed, not totally agreeing with him. I decided to let it slide and put my arm around his waist. "At least hold on to me while you walk."

"Gladly." He smiled triumphantly at me. I rolled my eyes and we walked out of the apartment. "Hey, nice bag." He eyed the handbag slung over my shoulder.

"Thanks, you bought it for me!"

He chuckled and shook his head, and we walked to the elevator.

***

We got to the club a couple minutes past nine and walked straight in. Somehow, the crazy Cullen family had been able to swing a private VIP room for us in the back of the club. Edward and I made our way through the crowds and into the dimly lit room. There were a couple deep purple suede couches surrounding a low coffee table in the center, and a fully stocked open bar in the corner. Alice, Jasper, Rose, and Emmett were lounging on the couches, each with a drink in their hands.

"Edward! Bella!" Alice jumped up and gave us each a quick kiss on the cheek before handing us our own martinis.

"Hey, Everyone." I waved to the family, going over to sit down on an empty couch. Edward came over and sat next to me and leaned over to talk to Emmett and Jasper while Alice and Rose complimented me on my outfit.

Alice smiled at me. "Nice job, Bells. I knew we taught you well."

I laughed and rolled my eyes. "Yep, I owe it all to you."

"Pretty much," Rosalie joked, taking a sip of her margarita. "I want to go dance. Emmett?" She looked over at her smiling fiancé and stood up. They left the room hand in hand to go dance on the main floor.

Alice redirected her gaze to me. "So, Bella. How was your first day back at work?"

"You know, it wasn't that bad. Luckily I just got to sit at my desk and watch students' presentations. It kind of sucked being away from Edward for the first time in three weeks, but I've only got four more days left of the semester. Then I'm free."

Alice nodded and smiled. "And when you are, we are all going on vacation."

"Wait, what?"

"Yeah, like five days after the wedding, you, me, Jasper, and Edward are meeting Rose and Emmett in Mexico for a week. We figured that we could all use a nice break from the real world."

"That sounds amazing, but are you sure that Rose and Emmett don't mind us crashing their honeymoon?"

"We already talked about it. They have a full five days to do whatever they want before we get there. It'll be great!"

"Sounds great! I could really use a tan."

Alice giggled. "Me, too!... Ooh I'm so excited!" I smiled at her and turned to face Edward.

"Did you hear that? We're going to Mexico!"

Edward nodded and squeezed my knee. "Can't wait!"

We all talked for a couple more minutes, and then Alice and Jasper decided to join Rose and Emmett on the dance floor. I seriously wanted to join them with Edward, but because of his leg we were forced to sit this one out.

I took a sip of my drink and snuggled closer to Edward. He put his arm around my waist and kissed my cheek.

"Finally," he sighed into my ear, causing me to blush and shiver minutely. We sank back further into the couch and I turned to catch his lips in my mouth. Without breaking our kiss, I carefully swung my leg over Edward's lap to straddle him. He moaned into my mouth and deepened the kiss. I could feel his hands running up and down my back, sending shock waves throughout my body. I pressed into him entirely, wanting to feel all of his perfect body against mine, and he ran his tongue across my bottom lip, causing my mouth to open.

Edward sucked on my tongue roughly, and I threw all thoughts of control out the window as I let my hips lightly grind into his lap, eliciting a moan from his mouth. His hands slid from my waist to my thighs, and my eyes could have rolled to the back of my head when he began to slowly massage circles into the skin of my outer thighs. I pushed my hands under his shirt and let them wander carelessly along his perfect stomach muscles, all the while gripping my lips hungrily to his mouth.

Edward's hips shifted into mine, and I groaned loudly, moving my mouth to suck and lick his earlobe. I could hear Edward panting into my ear as I fisted my hands into his tousled hair, and his hands slipped under the material of my dress to knead the skin below my ass. I ground my hips against him again, feeling his erection pressed against me. A deep moan came from the back of Edward's throat, urging me on.

I moved my lips back to his mouth and he bit my bottom lip as I scraped my nails down his chest. The electricity was palpable between Edward and I as we continued to kiss and touch and pull and grind against each other hungrily, neither of us wanting to ever let go. Sensing our need to breath, Edward slid his lips down to my neck, sucking and licking the sensitive skin as I panted unevenly into his ear. I moved my hands to tug on his hair again as he continued to assault my neck with his tongue. Hearing small footsteps and a giggle behind me, I pulled away abruptly.

"Get a room," Alice laughed before walking back out with Jasper in tow. I groaned into Edward's chest, momentarily hating my best friend for her terrible timing. He chuckled and kissed the top of my head.

Edward sighed into my hair. "Maybe we should take her advice, love."

I looked up to find him smirking at me, and placed an abrupt but deep kiss on his lips, before standing up and pulling Edward with me. He raised an eyebrow at me questioningly, but I just shrugged and whispered seductively in his ear. "Just taking your sister's advice."

He flashed me his crooked grin before we practically ran out of the club to our car.

Driving back to the apartment, both of our breathing was still coming out ragged. It didn't help that Edward's hand continued to massage my bare thigh as I drove home as fast as possible without getting a speeding ticket. My fingers clenched around the steering wheel as Edward's hand made its way under my dress.

"Do you _want_ to get in an accident, Edward?" I breathed, not taking my eyes off the road.

He chuckled but moved his hand back down to my knee. "Sorry, love. I just can't keep my hands off of you." I shook my head and let out a huge breath when we finally pulled into the garage and parked the car. Before I could even open the door, Edward pushed me against my seat and crashed his lips into my mouth. I swear my heart skipped a beat when his tongue lightly ran across my lips. I gasped into his mouth and pulled away.

Edward looked slightly hurt, so I smiled at him warmly and shrugged. "I at least want to get inside first."

He nodded and we quickly got out of the car. Barely able to walk at a normal pace, we reached the elevator in record time before Edward hungrily pushed my body against the wall, sending bolts of electricity throughout my veins. I hardly had time to kiss him before the elevator dinged and the doors flew open to our floor.

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**AHHH I'm sorry for stopping it there. But I've gotta find a way to keep you guys coming back, right? ;)**

**Anyways, you don't have to worry because I'll probably finish writing most of the next chapter tonight, and have it out by tomorrow. Consider it your Xmas present, yeah? **

**As always, review please! I want to hear your guys' thoughts! Have a good holiday! =]  
**

**-Kathryn  
**


	13. Wedding Bells and Memories

**Hey, Everyone! Sorry I didn't update yesterday like I promised-- I sort of got distracted, and then was editing a story for someone. Anyways, I hope you all had a good holiday!!!**

**Enjoy the chapter! It starts right where the last one left off.  
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**BPOV**

Not caring if anyone saw us at the moment, I kept my mouth attached to his lips, sucking and licking anxiously, all the way to our door. Edward pressed my body against it, simultaneously massaging my tongue with his own, as I fumbled to find the keys in my purse. Finally, I broke away to open the door, which was hastily slammed back into place after Edward and I stepped into the hallway, never breaking contact.

Edward pulled away momentarily as his hands found the zipper on the back of my dress and slowly unzipped it, causing the black material to fall at my feet. I stepped out of it and pulled his body closer to mine in the direction of the bedroom.

We fumbled our way to the room, and I distractedly unbuttoned Edward's shirt and ripped it away from his body before he roughly pushed me on to the bed.

"Edward," I moaned into his mouth, pulling him down on top of me. He reached around my back to unclasp my bra and brought his hands to my breasts to massage them firmly, all the while never breaking contact with my lips. I arched my back into him, basking in the feeling of his warm hands on my bare skin. I moved my hands to unbutton his pants and pushed them down his legs. He hastily wiggled out of them and took his hands off my chest to push down my silk underwear. Once they were discarded onto the floor, I grabbed the waistband of his boxers and slipped them off his legs.

Edward climbed back up over me on the bed, and lifted my head with his hand to sweep a pillow underneath it. His mouth quickly reattached to my lips as his hips gyrated into mine, causing me to gasp at the feeling of his arousal pressed into my lower stomach. I groaned into his mouth, closing my eyes, and felt him sink inside of me. I lifted my hips to meet his, and we rocked against each other urgently, increasing the pressure and intensity until we climaxed simultaneously. I dug my fingernails into Edward's back as I rode out the huge waves of pleasure emanating in my body.

Suddenly, Edward froze above me. I could feel his entire body tensing up against mine. Both of our breathing was coming out erratically and sharply, but he had an odd look in his eyes when I leaned back to face him.

"Edward? Are you okay?" I breathed into his neck.

"Yeah, I..." He paused, catching his breath. "I just had a flashback."

"What?! But you've only had them in your sleep before..."

He slowly rolled off of me and to my side. I turned over to stare him in the face. His hooded green eyes were suddenly alive with excitement. "I know." His face scrunched up in confusion.

We laid there in silence for a few minutes, letting our breathing return to normal, before either of us spoke again. I reached my hand up to stroke his forehead, pushing his shaggy damp hair out of his eyes.

I had to ask. "So, what was it?"

Edward blinked away his glazed-over expression and smiled at me. "Well, sex."

"You had a flashback of us having sex _while_ we were having sex." It was more of a question.

"I guess so." He grinned at me and chastely kissed me on the lips. "But we weren't in here... We were on the diningroom table. And there was," he paused, smirking at me, "Indian food strewn all over the place– the floor, the table, us..."

I smiled and laughed, remembering that particular sexcapade.

"How long ago was that?"

"Only a couple months ago, actually."

Edward nodded and kissed me again. "Do you think it had something to do with the fact that we ate Indian food tonight? Maybe the combination of the strong smell of the spices with the sex set off some sort of...receptor in my brain, which made me remember the last time my senses associated sex and Indian food with each other..?"

"That's the best conclusion I can come up with." I smiled at him and wrapped my arms around his waist. "So maybe we can stir some more memories by trying to combine all six senses that were associated with a particular moment."

"I guess we're going to have to try," sighed Edward, inhaling the scent of spices still lingering in my hair from earlier. I kissed him lightly on the tip of his nose and sat up to pull the bed covers over our naked bodies. I curled myself into Edward's chest and closed my eyes.

Edward whispered into my ear. "I love you, Bella."

"I love you, too," I whispered back, sighing when I felt his arms snake around me. Breathing to the slow and steady pace of Edward's heartbeat against my back, I relaxed every muscle in my body and waited for sleep to overwhelm me.

**EPOV**

The next two and a half weeks flew by in a blur of trying to conjure up more memories with Bella and finishing wedding plans. The last four days of Bella's job were just as mind-numbingly boring as the first day had been, but once she got home, we would think of different things to do for hours on end, attempting to evoke more flashbacks for me. Our theory had proven successful a couple times; one of those being when Bella pulled out her skintight leather cat woman suit. For some reason, the sexual flashbacks were much more vivid in my mind than any others.

One day while I was at home waiting for Bella to come back from work, I was sitting on the couch in the livingroom listening to a mix of classical music. I decided to pull out the huge photo album from our trip to Paris to keep my mind busy, and when I turned to a picture of us smiling at each other in a café, I instantly remembered that exact moment. The same song that was playing through my speakers in the livingroom had been playing softly in the background at the little café. We had been drinking coffee, when an old man with a camera came up to us and asked if he could take a few pictures of us for his exhibit on love. We of course said yes, and in return he used Bella's camera to take a couple pictures for our own collection.

I remember the feeling of being so in love, I thought my heart might explode out of my chest. Looking at Bella laughing in the picture, I got the same feeling all over again. I knew that Bella was the woman for me, and that we would undoubtedly be together for the rest of eternity. I wholly craved every part of her body, and her mind. She was the most beautiful woman in the universe.

When Bella came home from work that day, I could barely contain myself as I told her about my latest memory. It was the only flashback I had gotten without having to be asleep or having sex, and that definitely felt like progress. I spent the rest of that night kissing and listening to Bella as she recalled our entire trip to Paris for me.

This past week was extremely hectic and crazy; Bella and I practically had whiplash from all of the back and forth plans of Rose and Emmett's wedding. Not only did we have to help with seating plans for the reception, flower arrangements, and the like, we were also forced to plan Bachelor/Bachelorette parties for the happy couple. Of course Emmett wanted to go to Vegas, but it being so last minute, we decided to settle on a night of bar-hopping downtown Seattle.

***

Tonight was finally the night before the wedding, and I couldn't wait for it to all be over. I sat on the couch curled up next to Bella, as we tried to get one last hour in together before we were ripped apart to go to our parties. I wouldn't get to see her again until just before walking down the aisle tomorrow, and this would be our first night apart in a few weeks.

"I should probably go get changed. Alice is supposed to be picking me up in thirty minutes," Bella sighed, pulling away from our embrace.

I kissed her on the forehead and stood up as well. "Yeah I have to change too. I don't think Emmett would appreciate me wearing sweat pants to his Bachelor party."

Bella smiled back at me, scrunching up my hair with her hand. "No, probably not."

We walked into the bedroom and changed into our respective clubbing outfits. When Bella walked out of the bathroom after finishing her hair and makeup, she nearly took my breath away. Of course Bella always looked stunning, but she looked downright sexy in her skintight navy blue dress that only hit mid thigh and strappy high heels. I ran my eyes over Bella's perfect little body, causing her to blush.

Looking at her feet, Bella smoothed out her hair nervously. I walked over to her and cupped her chin in my hand, coercing her to look at me. "You are gorgeous, Bella."

"Thanks," she whispered, smiling when I winked at her. She pulled away and swept her eyes over my body. "You look quite handsome yourself, Edward. No strippers," she laughed, squeezing my hand.

"Ugh, never," I said, grossed out at the thought. "I should say the same for you, though." I raised my eyebrow at Bella playfully.

She cringed. "God, I know. The whole thing is just so...dirty. I don't know _why_ Rosalie and Emmett would want strippers. They have each other for goodness sake!" She smiled up at me and we walked into the hallway with our overnight bags, just as the doorbell rang. It was Alice and Jasper, here to pick us up to go to our destinations. Bella and I quickly kissed each other goodbye, and she walked out the door with Alice. Jasper looked over his shoulder to see that they were gone, and smiled mischievously at me.

"Ready?"

"I feel like there's something I should be worried about, Jasper. Is there something you haven't told me?" I just knew that scheming look on his face.

"I know you're going to hate me for this, but Emmett insisted. We're going to a strip club."

I groaned. "You're kidding, right? I thought we were just going to go out and have a couple drinks."

"Sorry, man. Emmett said, and I quote, 'I refuse to have a Bachelor party without strippers. It's just not right. I want my last night of being single to go out with a bang'," Jasper sighed, shaking his head.

I rolled my eyes. "But he's not single!"

"I know that, and you know that, but Emmett is just, well, Emmett... Ready to go?"

"Yeah, I guess."

We drove to Emmett and Rosalie's apartment, chatting about nothing in particular the entire time. Hopefully the girls had already picked up Rosalie so we wouldn't have to deal with all the squealing and chirping that would most likely be coming from my beloved sister. I went to knock on their front door, but barely even put my fist down when it flew open, revealing a giddy Emmett.

We quickly drove to the nearest strip club and walked in. I was desperately wishing that I had a blindfold in my pocket so I wouldn't have to subject myself to the horror of half-naked girls with fake breasts swinging around on poles and giving lap dances to horny old men. I cringed when I heard the tacky club music pulsating in the air, and we walked into a VIP room.

I didn't need to watch the strip show that was unfolding before me. I had Bella, who was infinitely better than a cheap lap dance. Hell, she was infinitely better than the most expensive lap dance in the world. I was more turned on by the thought of holding Bella's small hand than the sight of the stripper gyrating and grinding her body against the pole in front of us.

After a couple minutes, I turned to look at Jasper and Emmett. "Are you two seriously enjoying this?"

Jasper shook his head and gave me a look saying, 'I want out of here,' but Emmett turned to me and smiled widely. "Last night of freedom, guys. Last night."

I chuckled at my doofus of a brother and turned to talk to Jasper. We chatted about last minute wedding details and took a couple shots as we waited for Emmett to get enough of the night.

Unable to stand it any longer, I groaned and faced Emmett. "Emmett. Can we go now? Let's just go back to your apartment and drink or something."

He looked at me and frowned, but sighed and stood up. "Yeah, you guys are right. This is ridiculous. I've got Rosalie, for heaven's sake!"

"Exactly!" I patted his back as we made our way out of the VIP area and walked through the main room of the club. I kept my eyes on the floor the entire time. I felt too pure for this place; I didn't belong here, nor did I ever want to.

We made our way to the car and drove back to the apartment. I was actually looking forward to just hanging out with the boys for once. We finally made it to the top floor of the apartment building, which was completely owned by Rosalie and Emmett, and went inside. Jasper, Emmett, and I made our way into the livingroom and sat down on the big squishy couches.

"So, Emmett. Ready for the big day?" Jasper asked my brother.

"As ready as I ever will be. I have to say, guys, getting engaged to Rosalie was the best thing to ever happen to me. Jasper, you know how it is. You're already married. But Edward, you're gonna need to join us soon." He threw me a pointed look.

I sighed. "Don't you think it's a little early for that? It's only been a month and a half, after all."

Jasper shrugged. "That may be true, but I've seen how you and Bella look at each other. Honestly. You _were_ going to propose to her the night of the accident. You had been jumping up and down about it for weeks. Anyways, it's bound to happen sooner or later."

"We're just letting things happen... And of course hoping that I'll somehow get my memory back soon."

"But you want to stay with her for the rest of your lives, don't you?"

"Of course." I smiled at the thought.

Emmett stood up and walked over to the bar that happened to be conveniently placed in the corner of the spacious livingroom. The rest of the night was spent taking shots and talking drunkenly about sports and women. We finally passed out at around three o'clock in the morning.

**BPOV**

I woke up to the sound of Alice's high-pitched squeaky voice in my ear. I groaned and rolled over, feeling the aftermath of drinking with my two best friends for three hours straight. My head felt like it was going to explode, and my throat was dry and raspy. This was officially the worst hangover of my life.

Last night we ended up going back to our usual club for a couple hours to drink and dance until the crowd started clearing out. We then hopped into our limo and made our way to the hotel that the wedding would be at today. Unfortunately for my liver, we didn't go to bed right away when we got here. We drank for another hour, straight from the bottle, talking and giggling about our men the entire time. We finally passed out on the big fluffy bed at two in the morning. Today was going to be a long day.

"Bella, get up! Rose and I have already taken showers, and you need to get one before the hair and makeup people get here in twenty minutes. Now get off your ass!" Alice chirped at me. In return, I flung my pillow at her face. I heard her huff and stomp off to the other side of the hotel suite.

After another minute of debating over whether to wake up or not, I dragged myself off the bed and into the marble bathroom. The hot shower worked wonders over my muscles that were sore from dancing. As I lathered my hair, I wondered about how the guys' Bachelor party ended up. I was looking forward to seeing Edward today– I had a feeling that the wedding would be putting us all in very romantic moods tonight. I couldn't wait to feel Edward's perfect body pressed against me again.

I mentally kicked myself for thinking lustful thoughts so early in the morning, without Edward there to help me out. I sighed, reaching my hand down to momentarily relieve some of the tension. I hated to do it myself, but knew that I would be unbearably uncomfortable for the rest of the day until I could get Edward alone if I didn't take care of my problem.

After thoroughly washing off, I hopped out of the shower and blow-dried my hair before going back out into the room. I was met with the unfortunate sight of three makeup artists, three hairdressers, and three separate vanities set up in the middle of the suite. I was seriously not in the mood to get dolled up right now. All I wanted to do was curl back up in my bed and sleep for another ten hours.

Alice and Rosalie were already seated at their respective mirrors, with women pulling on their hair and brushing on makeup. I grudgingly sat down on my little stool and smiled weakly up at my hairdresser and makeup artist. As they began their work, which would for sure be long and difficult, I looked at Alice and Rose out of the corner of my eye.

"So, Rosalie. How are you feeling?"

She squealed, and I grabbed my head in my hands. "I'm soooooo excited, Bella! You have no idea! But I'm also kind of nervous– that's probably the hangover talking, though."

Alice nodded in agreement. "Everything's going to be fantastic today, Rose. You'll see. My wedding was the best day of my life, hands down." She smiled broadly, remembering her and Jasper's wedding.

Rose sighed, and reached over to squeeze Alice's hand. "Your wedding was _so_ perfect, I don't know how mine will ever match up."

Alice rolled her eyes. "You know that today will be just as fabulous, if not more so, than my wedding. First of all, your _dress_!"

I sat there in silence as my two best friends prattled on excitedly about the small details of today. I was extremely excited and happy for Rose, but I couldn't help but feel a little left out. After today, both Alice and Rose would be happily married, and I would still be stuck in this odd limbo with Edward. I knew that we should have been engaged by now, and I tried to not let it bother me, but I kept being reminded of it lately. And every time, it felt like a little rip at that hole in my chest that was finally mending in the past few weeks.

I stared at myself vainly in the mirror as the two women transformed me into something fabulous. My hair went up into a romantically loose, messy bun, and my makeup was light and shimmery; it went perfect with the goddess silhouette of my Vera Wang bridesmaid dress. After two hours of being fussed at, I finally got to stand up and slip on my dress. Once I had the gorgeous gown on, I strapped on my nude-colored heels and went to join Alice in front of the floor length mirror.

Alice's short spiky hair was pinned back slightly out of her face, and her makeup was almost identical to my own. We stood admiring each other and ourselves wordlessly for another couple minutes before walking back over to Rosalie, who of course was still getting her hair done.

I smiled at her in the mirror, giving her shoulder a squeeze. "You're going to do fantastic," I reassured her, watching the hairdresser twist and pin her hair into an ultra-romantic updo complete with little braids and loose curls. Rosalie squeezed my hand back before returning her gaze to the mirror.

Alice and I sat carefully on the bed, making sure not to mess up our dresses, while we waited for Rose's hair and makeup to be complete. After a few more minutes, she stood up and grinned when I walked over to her, wedding dress in hand.

"Here you go," I sighed, passing over the gorgeous gown. Rose's eyes glowed with excitement as she stepped into the couture dress. We helped her button up the back before stepping to her sides to gasp in awe at the beautiful sight that was Rosalie the Bride. I noticed Alice swiping her fingers at her eyes, trying to prevent tears from escaping and ruining her makeup. I heard the door to the suite open and turned to see Esme walking in.

"You girls look beautiful!" She sang, coming over to hug us all.

"Morning, Esme," I sighed, briefly squeezing her in a tight hug. She walked over to Rosalie and smiled brightly at her.

"Rose, darling. My son is going to pass out at the altar when he sees you."

Rosalie laughed, grinning widely. "I sure hope not!"

***

The mid-afternoon wedding turned out to be more fantastic than any of us had dreamed. The service went perfectly, ending in many tears from the guests and family. There were no embarrassing moments, and everything went smoothly as planned.

I sat at one of the many tables in the ballroom, enjoying the scene of the reception play out around me. People were happily dancing and getting drunk from the open bar, and I smiled as Alice and Jasper swept past me on the dance floor, waving and calling me over to dance. I rolled my eyes at them– everyone knew that I couldn't dance– and turned to face Edward, who was quietly sitting next to me.

"You seem quiet today," I sighed, interlacing our fingers.

"Just thinking. Not to mention I still have a hangover."

I chuckled and leaned over to kiss Edward on the lips. He hummed into my mouth, and pulled away, holding out his hand.

"Would you like to dance?"

I groaned. "Do you really think that's such a good idea?"

He smiled coyly. "I do, as a matter of fact." I grabbed his hand and stood up, dragging him to the middle of the dance floor. I put my free hand at the nape of his neck, and we began to dance.

"Don't say I didn't warn you. You asked for this."

"Bella, you're not a bad dancer. I don't know what you're talking about." He leaned down and placed a light kiss on my lips.

"Just wait until you get your memory back," I grumbled into his chest. I could feel him slightly shaking with laughter against me, so I 'accidentally' stepped on his foot.

He chuckled softly. "You meant to do that."

I laughed, and pulled myself closer to Edward's body.

The rest of the reception continued on in the same fashion. Looking around the big ballroom, I noticed that everyone was together with their significant other, and certainly feeling the love in the air. Rosalie and Emmett were back at the table now, saying their goodbyes before leaving for the airport. I stood up and gave Rose a big hug.

"Have an amazing time in Mexico!"

"Thanks, Bella! We'll see you there in a week!" She smiled back at me.

"Definitely, I can't wait!" I let go of her, turning to be enveloped into a huge bear hug from Emmett.

"See you in a week, Bella!" He roared into my ear, setting me back on my feet.

I patted him on the arm, catching my balance. "See you then, Emmett."

After saying our goodbyes, Edward and I walked over to the coat check to retrieve our jackets before finally going home. Today had been a long day, and I couldn't wait to curl up next to Edward in bed and relax. We drove home in silence, holding hands the entire way. I had a feeling that we were both thinking about the next five days we would have by ourselves before going to Mexico. Although I finished work almost two weeks ago, this would be the first time I would get to fully relax since before going back. I was seriously looking forward to not worrying about wedding plans, working, or doing anything in particular. Edward and I were going to spend as much alone time together as possible before meeting the family in Mexico; I couldn't wait to get home and go to bed.

We pulled into the garage and quickly made our way up to the apartment. Edward looked just as exhausted as I felt, so when we got inside, we made a beeline for the bedroom.

"I've been waiting for this all day," Edward sighed, curling up under the covers.

I giggled and slid into bed next to him, inching my body as close to his as possible. After kissing Edward goodnight, I closed my eyes and just about instantly fell asleep.

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**Thanks for reading! I'll try to get another chapter up by the end of the weekend!**

**Review, please, as usual! =]  
**


	14. Sorry

**Hey, everybody. I'm sorry, but this isn't a chapter update-- it's actually sort of the opposite..**

**I've decided to put this story on an indefinite hiatus. I just haven't felt that motivated by it lately, and I'm not sure exactly where I want to go with it at this point. I can barely look at it at the moment, so this is for the best.  
**

**But I do want to finish it eventually, it just might be a couple weeks before I update again.**

...

**One of the reasons is that I got a new story idea, and I really want to just go with it. I think it can be better than this one. So, keep your eyes open for when I post it-- I just finished writing the first chapter, and I really like it so far. **

**I hope you all understand. I just need to regather my thoughts for this one. And, roll with the new story. I'd probably feel more motivated to write this if I heard from you guys, though.... Just sayin' ;)  
**

**Anyways, thanks for reading, and watch for updates/my new story! I love you all!**

**xoxo luv fluv, Kathryn (Katarina Isabella)  
**


	15. The Notebook and Bikinis

**A/N:**

**Hey guys!!! Yes, I'm back with this story!!!! You can all throw a party! I'm really excited to be able to continue writing this, seeing as I haaaate writer's block and even more so, i hate leaving things like this unfinished. So, I'm sorry that I kept you all hanging for so long! Don't hate me! =]**

**And I also wanted to say, thank you all so so SO much for all of the fantastic reviews I got from you, urging me on to finish this story. It's always nice to hear how much someone likes your work. It definitely made me want to get back to this story as much as possible.**

**I found it really hard to switch back to this voice after writing six chapter of my new story, _Chuck Taylors and Record Players,_ but I worked really hard to make this coherent and leaving exactly where it left off! So let me know what you think!  
**

**Anyways, after 3 or so weeks, here's a new chapter! Enjoy! =]**

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**BPOV**

I woke up to the sound of my cell phone vibrating on the night stand next to the bed, and reached my hand out from under the covers to grab it.

"Hello?" I mumbled, annoyed at the interruption of my sleeping.

I shouldn't have been surprised when I heard Alice's tinkling voice on the other end. Of course, didn't I know that we just _had_ to go shopping for Mexico today?

After negotiating what time she would pick me up, I rolled over in hopes of catching a few more minutes of sleep. Edward's eyes were open, and he was gazing at me lovingly.

"Alice?" He asked, ruffling my hair in his hand. I nodded, leaning over to kiss him. Edward hummed into my lips. "What time is it?"

I glanced over at the clock. "Twelve thirty."

"In the afternoon?"

"Yeah– we really slept in late, didn't we?" I sighed, snuggling my body closer to Edward. He wrapped his arms around me, pressing his lips to my hair.

"I love you– did you know that?" I could feel his mouth turning up in a smile against the top of my head.

"Mmm, I love you too, " I sighed, sinking deeper into the squishy mattress. "I should probably get up– Alice is going to be here in an hour. I think Jasper's coming over too."

"Oh, good. I don't feel like entertaining myself today." Edward unwrapped his arms from my waist and sat up. "I think I'll go make us breakfast," he said, yawning.

I sat up next to him, swinging my legs around to the floor. "I'll be in the shower."

Edward gave me a quick kiss on the cheek and headed to the kitchen. I stripped off my boxers and camisole and went into the bathroom. The hot water felt amazing beating down on my skin.

It had now been about a month and a half since the accident, and Edward still didn't have his memory back. He was making progress with the random flashbacks, but to say that his condition was improving was a lie; he still didn't _really_ know anything about the past nine years of his life. Sure, he was behaving fairly normally, but there was no way he could go back to work any time soon, and our relationship still felt a little strained. I could see in his eyes that he would occasionally get confused or overwhelmed by his new life, but being the tough guy Edward was, he never let on to any of this. I knew he was trying to make it easier on me, but it felt like it should have been the opposite– I was supposed to be taking care of him– but in reality, he was the one protecting me from the pain.

The tearing hole in my heart was gone, but I desperately wanted things to go back to the way they were supposed to be. We were supposed to be engaged; Edward was supposed to be working at the hospital; everything was supposed to be perfect. This should have been _our_ summer.

The doctor said that it was unusual for Edward's memory to be gone for so long; he even told us to start accepting that the memory loss could be permanent. But I refused to give up– I just knew that Edward's memory would come back– I could feel it when I looked in his eyes. I could feel it in my bones.

Once I got out of the shower and put on a lightweight sun dress, I walked into the kitchen. The smell of pancakes was wafting through the apartment, making my mouth water. I hadn't realized how hungry I actually was until now. My stomach rumbled, just to emphasize the point, and I grabbed a plate of pancakes and strawberries off the counter.

"This smells delicious," I said, sitting down on a barstool. Edward was busy mixing up another batch.

"Hopefully they taste just as good." He turned from the stove top and flashed me my favorite crooked grin.

"I'm so hungry I could eat our entire refrigerator," I laughed, shoveling the hot food into my mouth.

Edward chuckled, flipping a pancake over on the skillet. His face was scrunched adorably in concentration, and a loose strand of hair fell freely in front of his eyes. He looked unbelievably sexy when he cooked, and I told him so.

He grinned up at me, rolling his eyes. "Thanks, but I think you're a little biased."

"That may be true, but I'm pretty sure that every straight girl in the world would agree."

"Don't forget all the gay men," he laughed, coming over to me with his own plate of breakfast in hand. Sitting down, he lightly kissed my lips.

I leaned into it, wrapping my arms around Edward's neck. It felt as though I hadn't really kissed him in days. Edward deepened the kiss, taking my bottom lip in his mouth and sucking on it. I groaned into his mouth, basking in the tingles racing up and down my spine at the touch.

"Alice and Jasper are going to be here in fifteen minutes," Edward mumbled, pulling away. I tightened my arms around his neck, forcing him to keep contact. He smiled smugly at me.

"Lock the doors, then; they'll get the idea eventually," I joked, leaning in for another kiss. I softly bit Edward's bottom lip, causing him to groan.

"Save it for tonight, Bella," he purred into my ear.

I pulled away and winked seductively at him. "Don't worry, I will."

After finishing our pancakes, Edward went to take a shower and I quickly washed the dishes before Alice and Jasper arrived.

I opened the front door to the apartment and Alice immediately attacked me with a hug.

I laughed, untangling my arms from her tiny body. "Someone's excited to go shopping today!"

"I just desperately need a bikini!" She giggled, walking through the doorway.

"Where's Jasper?" I asked, not seeing him in his usual spot on Alice's arm.

"He's coming, he just left his baseball cap in the car," she said, rolling her eyes sarcastically.

"Men," I scoffed jokingly, slipping my feet into a pair of sandals.

"Speaking of men, where's yours?"

"Edward should be getting out of the shower any minute."

Alice nodded, walking towards my bedroom door. She opened it a crack and yelled in. "Edward, your girlfriend and I are going to the mall!"

"Have fun!" I heard him yell back.

We walked back towards the door just as Jasper walked through it.

"Hey, Bella."

"Hey Jazz. Edward's just getting out of the shower."

"Alright, thanks."

I grabbed my purse from the coffee table as Alice kissed Jasper goodbye. They really were the perfectly happy married couple. I sighed, hoping that I could look forward to that someday soon for myself.

Alice and I took the elevator down to the parking garage, and slid into her shiny yellow Porsche. I had a feeling my wallet would be easier to close by the end of the day.

***

We got to the mall, and Alice steered us directly towards the bikinis. I was going to have to do a lot of crunches in the next five days, that was for sure. I hadn't exactly had a lot of time to exercise lately, and my normally toned and flat body was paying the price.

"So, how do you think the wedding went?" Alice asked, flinging a barely-there bikini into my arms. After twenty minutes, we were already having trouble carrying all of the clothes we had picked out.

"It was fantastic– everything went smoothly. Not to mention how gorgeous Rosalie looked," I sighed, eyeing a cute beach cover-up.

"She did look amazing. Ooh, Bella. I can't wait until your wedding! Then we'll all be old married couples together!" Alice giggled, fixing her hair in a mirror.

"It could be awhile," I mumbled, not wanting to bring up the topic of my impending engagement again. I knew it was going to happen, but it was a difference between any day now and years from now. It all depended on Edward and his memory.

"Don't say that Bells. Even if Edward doesn't get his memory back, you _know_ he wants to marry you. He was completely head over heels for you the minute he saw you in the hospital. And I doubt that's going to change."

"No, I know. I just can't not think about how we should have been engaged by now– it wasn't supposed to work this way."

Alice shrugged, throwing another bikini on top of the mound of fabric in my arms. "Life doesn't always go as it's planned– you have to work around it."

I let out a deep breath. "I just want things to go back to normal."

"Trust me, so do I. I want my brother back too." Alice paused, then smiled. "Let's go try these on!"

We wandered into the dressing rooms, and once I closed the door behind me I went to work. I tried on bikini after scantily-clad bikini, grimacing at my not-so-toned abs in the mirror. Must have been all that wedding cake.

"Alice, how many suits should I get?" I yelled to the dressing room next to me.

"One for each day!"

"Are you serious?! No repeats..?"

"Come on, Bells– live a little!"

"Fine," I grumbled, taking off another slinky bikini.

"Finding any cute ones?" Alice asked.

"Yeah, but they're all so skimpy! Can we go workout please?!"

Alice laughed. "I haven't had much time to go to the gym lately, either. We should go tomorrow."

"Definitely."

After picking out five different bikinis, those being the most modest ones I could find, I went back out into the store to make my purchases. Alice joined me in the checkout line with five bathing suits of her own, and once we paid we went out into the mall to find more clothes. According to Alice, we needed clubbing dresses _and_ sun dresses _and _one formal dress for dinner. I couldn't figure out why her and I were such good friends at the moment...

Alice and I each picked out our dresses, plus a pair or two of shoes. This vacation wasn't supposed to be expensive– I guess we needed to spend a lot on clothes to make up for it? Or something. I never understood the shopping logic of my best friend, but I had a feeling she didn't either– any excuse for new clothes was a good one, as long as she had the money. Which she always did. Alice _was_ a Cullen, after all.

Finally satisfied with our purchases, we headed back to the apartment.

"Ooh! I have an idea. Let's have movie night tonight!" Alice chirped, clapping her hands.

I shot her a glare; she knew I hated when she took her hands off the wheel while driving.

"Fine, fine," she sighed, making a show of grabbing the steering wheel forcefully. "Anyways, what do you think?"

"I think that sounds great– I could use a relaxing night with the Cullens."

"You mean the Whitlocks," Alice corrected, smiling brightly.

"I'll call Edward and tell him and Jasper to order in food so it'll be there by the time we get home," I said, picking up my phone and dialing home. Alice played with the radio as I relayed tonight's plans to Edward.

"What movies should we get?" Alice asked once I put my cell back in my purse.

"I don't know– something happy. I need a happy movie."

"Let's get _Little Miss Sunshine_! I haven't seen that movie in years!" Alice sang, settling on a station on the radio.

"Oh, good idea! I loved that movie. Should we also get a chick flick, just to annoy the guys?" I asked, smirking at the idea.

"Definitely. Actually, Jasper's a sap for chick flicks. Did you know that he cried watching _The Notebook_?"

I snorted. "No way! Jasper Whitlock _cried_ during _The Notebook_?! That's rich!"

Alice and I laughed the rest of the way to the video store, making fun of Jasper and his "overactive tear ducts". After picking out our movies and some girly magazines at the checkout, we finally went back to the apartment. I was more excited than I would have thought to go back home after the long day at the mall. I think I just couldn't wait to see Edward.

**EPOV**

I heard a knock on the front door, and hopped off the couch in the livingroom to get it. Bella had called thirty minutes ago, telling me to order some food for all of us, so I took the easy way out and ordered pizza. If Jasper and I were going to be forced to watch girly movies, we needed some pizza and beer to keep our manliness intact.

After paying the pizza delivery guy and setting the food down on the kitchen counter, I joined Jasper back in the livingroom. We had been hanging out here all day, playing video games and talking about nothing in particular. It felt just like old times, back in high school, when I still had a clue about what was going on in my life.

"What movies do you think we'll be forced to watch tonight?" Jasper asked, smirking at me.

I shrugged. "Who knows. I bet a bunch of cheesy chick flicks."

"As long as it's not _The Notebook_, I'm fine."

"Oh yeah? Why's that, Jasper?" I quirked an eyebrow at him questioningly.

"No reason," he said defensively.

I shook my head, rolling my eyes at my odd best friend. "Whatever, man."

We went back to watching a football game on tv, and a couple minutes later I heard the front door open and Alice's high-pitched laughter fill the apartment. Jasper hopped up from the couch to go greet his wife and I followed behind, grabbing some shopping bags out of Bella's full hands.

"Successful shopping trip?" I asked, eyeing all of Alice and Bella's purchases.

"I guess you could call it that," Bella groaned sarcastically, leaning in to kiss me on the cheek.

I chuckled. "Did you have fun?"

"We had TONS of fun. Isn't that right, Bella?" Alice flashed a huge grin at my exhausted-looking girlfriend.

"Tons!" She quickly gave me a wink before dropping her bags on the floor and walking into the kitchen. "I'm starved, what are we having for dinner?"

"We got pizza," Jasper said, getting dragged along into the kitchen by Alice. I don't know how he's put up with that crazy girl all these years, but I had to hand it to him. She was a handful. I smiled to myself and joined them in the kitchen, grabbing plates and napkins from the counter.

"Let's go in the livingroom. What movies did you girls get?" I asked, balancing the pizza box on the plates in my arms.

"Oh, you know, _The Notebook_," Alice giggled, jabbing Jasper with her elbow.

"That's not funny," he grumbled, rubbing his side.

"It's a little funny," Bella joined in, giving him a wink. She turned to face me, realizing that I didn't get the joke. "Jasper cried the last time he watched _The Notebook._"

I snorted. "That explains it."

We all walked into the livingroom, and settled into the squishy white couches. Once everyone got their fair share of pizza, we turned on _Little Miss Sunshine_ and fell silent.

About an hour into the movie, I started to get a little bored. It was a great film, but I just wasn't really in the mood for watching it; but I _was_ in the mood for something else. Bella and I hadn't had sex in a couple days, and I was starting to miss it. I didn't know how the hell I had been able to stay a virgin for so many years– I obviously had no idea what I was missing.

I squirmed a little on the couch, and Bella turned her head and raised her eyebrows at me, biting her lip. She was really sexy when she did that– I think she knew how much it drove me crazy. I shook my head and she shrugged, curling her little body further against my side. I slid my arm around her waist, pulling her closer. She turned her head and placed a light kiss on my neck, sending shivers up and down my spine.

Unfortunately, we weren't alone. Alice and Jasper were sitting on the other couch, watching the movie intently. I threw them each a pointed glare before returning my attention to Bella's body pressed against me. I nearly groaned out loud when she put her little hand on my jeans and started rubbing slow circles into my thigh. I had to bite down on my tongue to stay quiet, and Bella knew it.

She looked at me and smirked triumphantly, noticing my obvious erection straining through my jeans. She pulled the blanket from the back of the couch and threw it over our bodies, much to my relief. Bella looked back up at me and rolled her eyes, and to my regret shifted her body so she was sitting on my lap. This was going to be a long hour. Once she returned her gaze to the movie, I decided to have some fun of my own.

I leaned forward and gently sucked her earlobe into my mouth, and I felt Bella's body momentarily tense on top of me. I continued sucking on her ear, occasionally running my teeth over the sensitive skin. I could feel her body squirming, obviously becoming just as turned on as I was. Thankful for the blanket shielding our bodies, I moved my hands under her shirt and slid them up and down her sides, working my way to her breasts. When my hands finally reached her thin bra, Bella let out a small moan. I smiled to myself, and continued to slowly massaged her chest, letting my thumbs linger on her aroused nipples.

After another minute or so of teasing Bella, she grabbed my hands away from her breasts and held on to them, intertwining her fingers with my own.

She turned her head and whispered into my ear. "Save it, mister."

I sighed, nodding my head. She returned her attention to the movie, which was finally nearing the end, and I briefly pressed my lips to her neck.

After twenty more minutes of pure torture, the movie was finally over. I pressed 'stop' on the remote and turned to face Alice and Jasper.

"I hate to cut the party short, but you two need to leave."

Alice scrunched her face in confusion. "But–."

"Now." I glared at my sister, willing her to get the message. It finally clicked in her eyes and she stood up, pulling Jasper with her.

"Jazz, we should go. Edward needs Bella's help with something," she mocked, smirking at me the entire time.

"Uhh, okay. Later Edward. Bella." A confused looking Jasper waved us goodbye before hastily following Alice out the door of our apartment.

When I heard the definite click of the lock, I turned to face Bella. Her cheeks were bright red in embarrassment, but quickly went back to normal.

I let out a big breath. "Finally."

Bella turned around to straddle me, fisting her hands into my hair. "I thought that movie was never going to end."

"Me, too," I breathed, starting to get impatient. Bella wrapped her legs tightly around my waist, and I stood up, making a b-line for the bedroom.

I used my back to slam the door behind us, leaving the lights off, and collapsed onto the bed with Bella still attached to my waist. Our lips urgently crushed together, sending more tingles down my body. Bella lightly outlined my lips with her tongue, and my mouth parted instantaneously.

I could feel Bella's small hands quickly unbuttoning my shirt, and once it was off I pulled her dress up and over her head, adding it to our growing pile of clothes on the floor. I reattached my lips to her mouth, and my hands found their way to the clasp on her bra. I hastily pushed the fabric from her body, returning my hands to her breasts. Bella groaned into my mouth, grinding her hips into my lap. Her fingers went to the button on my jeans, and she quickly unzipped them. I lifted my hips off the bed to allow Bella to push the pants to the floor, and I slid my hands down her flat stomach to the waistband of her thong. I pushed it down her legs, and she shimmied out of the tiny piece of fabric and pushed me back against the bed.

She roughly grabbed my lips in her mouth, sucking on my bottom lip. I massaged her tongue with my own, eliciting a tiny moan from her mouth. Unable to take it anymore, I flipped us over so I was hovering above Bella, and pushed into her completely. She bit the skin in the crook of my neck, and I rocked my hips against hers.

Bella breathed my name into my ear, causing me to quicken our steady pace. The electric current racing between us was amazing and sexy and perfect, and I groaned when I felt Bella's body twisting under me. I slammed my hips into her, trying to create even more friction between our legs.

I grunted when Bella dug her fingernails into my back, pushing me further towards my release. She urgently grinded her hips up into me one more time, and I felt her entire body shudder under me as we climaxed simultaneously. I muffled a loud moan with Bella's neck before collapsing on top of her.

I rolled off of Bella's exhausted body and to her side, wrapping my arms around her waist. We laid in silence as our breathing slowly returned to normal, basking in each other's warmth.

After a while, I heard Bella's breathing turn deep and steady, signaling that she was asleep. I gently swept her hair off her damp forehead and pressed my lips to her salty-sweet skin, before pulling the comforters over our bodies and settling in for a dreamless night of perfect sleep.

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**So there you have it. I hope it lived up to your expectations??? I've calculated another 6 or 7 chapters to this story, so it's not over yet! And in the mean time, if you haven't yet, check out my other story! It's my baby and I love it! :]**

**Review, please! I just HAVE to know what you guys think after all this time! :]**

**Luv fluv, Kathryn **

**xoxo  
**


	16. Bienvenidos a Mexico!

**A/N:**

**I'm so sorry it took me forever to update this chapter... I had finals week, and then I got a ton of inspiration for my other story and well, you know how it goes. **

**Thanks for all the great reviews last chapter, they made me happy =]**

**And also, I sort of lied when I said there were 6 more chapters to this... I thought about it, and actually I'm thinking after this there's only two more chapters! AHH I know it's crazy. But I feel like this story just needs to end at some point, you know? **

**Anyways, read on and enjoy! :]**

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**EPOV**

The rest of the week flew by in a frenzy of physical therapy appointments, shopping for Mexico, and packing our bags. Bella and I barely even got the chance to sit down and just relax– we never stopped moving.

Today was finally the day of the trip, and I couldn't wait to sit back and unwind on a beach. There were no words for how crazy my life had been the past two months. I was seriously looking forward to escaping from it all.

I was laying in bed, trying to get another minute or two of sleep, when I felt Bella wrap her arms around my body. I opened my eyes and turned to face her, kissing her chastely.

"Good morning, Edward," she purred into my ear, bringing back memories of last night.

I turned my head to look at the clock– five fifteen in the morning. "It's so early," I groaned, breathing in the scent of strawberries from her hair.

"We have to get up! I need to finish packing."

"Can't we just not pack and stay in bed for a little longer?"

"No, silly. We're going to Mexico today! You can relax there. Besides, we have to be at the airport in an hour." Bella turned over, making to get up. "Now get out of bed."

I groaned, playfully using my arms to pin Bella against the bed. "Not yet."

She pushed off of me and sat up. "I'm going to make some coffee. If you're not in the kitchen in five minutes, there will be consequences."

I raised my eyebrows at her. "Oh yeah? That doesn't sound too bad. What kind of consequences?" I winked suggestively.

Bella scoffed, feigning annoyance, and walked out of the bedroom. I waited a couple seconds before following her, trying not to seem too eager, and then walked into the kitchen.

"I knew you couldn't stay away long," Bella joked, pulling coffee mugs out of a cabinet.

I laughed, walking up behind her and wrapping my arms around her tiny waist. I could seriously get used to this.

She turned around and pressed her lips to my mouth, leaning up against the counter.

"I thought you said we had to pack" I chuckled, pulling away slightly.

Bella shrugged. "In a second." She softly bit down on my bottom lip, and I took her upper lip into my mouth, running my tongue lightly against it. She moaned quietly into my mouth, pushing her tongue against mine. After a minute or two of enjoying this way too much, I pulled away again.

"I really don't think we have time for this right now," I joked, placing a tiny kiss on her nose.

Bella sighed longingly. "I guess you're right. Coffee?"

I nodded, untangling my arms from her body. I walked over to the fridge, opening it up to find something to eat. I was starving– we sort of skipped dinner last night, then spent hours doing my new favorite workout. I pulled out some orange juice and closed the door, grabbing a bagel from the counter.

"I feel like I haven't eaten in days," Bella said, handing me a mug of coffee.

I nodded. "I know what you mean– I'm so hungry after last night."

After finishing our food, Bella went back into the bedroom to finish packing our bags and I hopped in the shower– I had delegated the task of packing all of my things to Bella. I wasn't really sure what to bring to Mexico, and she was the more practical one, anyway.

I quickly showered and got dressed to join Bella in the bedroom.

"Can you close this suitcase for me? It just wont shut," she huffed, sitting on top of an overstuffed duffel bag.

"Sure," I laughed, kneeling down to zip up the bag. It closed easily. "There you go."

"Good teamwork," Bella joked, standing up to go in the bathroom.

While she showered, I called our airline to check in so we wouldn't have to wait in some long line at the airport. Moments after hanging up the phone, Alice and Jasper barged through our front door, luggage and sunglasses in hand.

"Edward! Big brother! Ready for Mexico?" Alice chirped, running over to give me a hug.

"Ready as ever!" I laughed, eyeing the heinous amount of luggage they had. "Moving your entire life with you, Alice?"

"You never know what you're gonna need," she said, giving me a look that clearly meant that I was brainless.

"I guess you're right," I agreed, not bothering to argue my favorite sibling's point.

"Where's Bella?" Asked Jasper, dropping a couple bags on the floor.

"She's just getting out of the shower. I'm gonna go get the bags from our room." I turned and walked down the hall to the bedroom, lifting the heavy suitcases from the bed.

"Bella, you almost ready? Alice and Jasper are here!" I called.

"I'll be out in just a second," she responded, her voice muffled by the sound of a blow-drier.

"Alright," I called back before hauling our luggage out of the room back to the front door.

After a couple more minutes of talking about nothing in particular with Alice and Jasper, Bella joined us in the hallway. We hastily closed the apartment and went outside to the limo waiting for us, saying our goodbyes to cold, wet weather and responsibility for a week.

If only then I had known that everything would be different by the time we return.

**BPOV**

"Bella."

"Hmm?" I turned my attention from the window to Edward's smiling face.

"Do you want anything to drink?" He asked, tilting his head in the direction of some overly-friendly looking stewardess with over-drawn lip liner who was leaning way too close to Edward, in my opinion.

"I'll just have water, thanks," I said, giving a quick smile to the stewardess.

She handed us our drinks and wheeled her cart back past Alice and Jasper, who were both knocked out cold. I turned to Edward, who was taking a sip of his soda.

"Do you know how much longer our flight is?" I asked, squirming a little in my seat. There was absolutely no leg room on this airplane.

"I think we have about an hour left," he said, taking my hand with his own.

He brought our clasped hands up to his mouth and lightly kissed my knuckles, causing me to relax immediately. I lifted up the arm rest with my free hand and snuggled my body closer into Edward's side– I was in a very cuddly mood today. There wasn't any reason in particular, I just felt the overwhelming need to be near Edward right now.

"Why can't this flight go quicker?"

"I can think of a way to make the time pass," Edward smirked, nuzzling his nose against my ear. I sighed when he softly ran his teeth over my earlobe, causing goose bumps to raise all over my skin.

"Don't you care that there are a ton of people that could see us?" I sighed, leaning against Edward in near-defeat.

He sat up and looked around momentarily before returning his gaze to mine. "Bella, everyone around us is asleep," he chuckled, placing a small kiss on my lips.

"I guess you're right," I concluded, leaning back in for another kiss.

I wrapped my arms around Edward's neck, pulling his face down to my level. I deepened the kiss, hungrily pushing my tongue into his mouth. Edward's hands slid under my tank top and his fingertips pressed into my skin, involuntarily causing my hips to press against him. My hands went to his hair as he ran his hands across my hips, a feeble attempt to get a hold of myself. We were in public– I had never been a big advocate for PDA, but all of a sudden I just really didn't care.

We spent the remaining hour of the flight lip-locked in our own little world, only stopping to breath when we finally touched down on the ground. I looked out the tiny window of the airplane to a sunny, colorful, warm Mexico. Seeing the sun and those palm trees was the most welcoming sight I had seen in ages. I couldn't wait to get outside and enjoy the weather. I hadn't been able to do that in a long time; Washington wasn't exactly a tropical oasis.

After helping Alice decide which pair of sunglasses she should wear first, we happily emerged from the plane onto the tarmac, the hot sun beating down on our faces. Unfortunately, I was wearing jeans that were making me sweat like a pig while we waited to get into customs. I desperately needed to put on a bathing suit– not to mention sun screen, which would surely be my only necessity this week.

Once the four of us went through customs and got our luggage, we used our minimal high school Spanish skills to get ourselves a taxi and left the tiny airport for the resort. The hour long ride from the Cancun airport down to our resort in Playa del Carmen was frightening, to say the least. Our driver, not to mention all of the other drivers on the highway, were maniacs! I was literally clutching onto Edward's hand in fear the entire drive.

Relief was the only word that came to mind when we finally pulled up to the gorgeous all-inclusive resort. It was enormous, and looked like a Mayan palace.

After checking in and getting our room keys, we decided to walk around the resort and check it out. About five minutes into our big adventure– the place was _that_ huge– Alice spotted Rosalie and Emmett walking in the other direction, holding hands.

"Rose! Emmett!" Alice shrieked, making everyone in a 40 foot radius turn and stare.

Rosalie and Emmett stopped in their tracks and turned towards us with huge smiles on their faces. They looked fabulous– tan, carefree, and gorgeous as per usual.

"Alice! Bella!" Rosalie sprinted across the walkway and attacked us with huge hugs. Emmett quickly followed behind, pulling us each into one of his bear-hugs. "Did you guys just get here?" Rose chirped, smiling brightly at the four of us.

"Can't you tell? We're still pale as ghosts," I laughed, giving her hand a tight squeeze. "You two look amazing– how has your week been?"

Rose and Emmett smiled excitedly at each other. They were obviously still on a post-wedding high. "It's been fantastic," Emmett said, giving each of us a suggestive wink.

"Ugh, gross," Alice giggled, elbowing Emmett in the side.

After filling each other in on the past week for another couple minutes, we went up to our huge suites to put down our luggage and change into bathing suits. There were still another couple hours left of sunlight, and we just had to get started on our tans.

**EPOV**

After changing into our bathing suits and slathering sun screen all over ourselves, we went down to the beach for a couple hours. While the girls chatted and tanned, Emmett, Jasper, and I played catch in the shallow water.

"So Edward, how's the memory?" Emmett asked, throwing me the football.

"No different," I huffed in frustration, dropping the ball into the salty ocean.

"That sucks," he replied.

"Tell me about it."

"You and Bella should just keep having sex for more flashbacks. Constantly," Emmett chuckled, catching the ball from Jasper.

Jasper snorted. "You and your great ideas." He shook his head, smiling at my big brother.

We continued to throw the football back and forth until the sun started going down, and I occasionally looked over to the girls to smile at Bella.

I had become increasingly frustrated with myself in these past few weeks. I was starting to believe the doctor when he said I would never get my memory back. I was feeling completely hopeless at this point, and personally, I could deal with living like this. I would have to go back to college and find a new career, but seeing as I couldn't remember anything, there was nothing to miss.

The only thing keeping me optimistic about it, the only reason I refused to give up, was Bella. She deserves to get the love of her life back. I could never just give up while I still had Bella in my life; and I planned on being with her forever. So there really was no choice. I refused to put her through any more pain, especially because of me. I just had to get better.

Once it was dark outside, we ended our little game of catch and walked back over to the girls. Alice and Bella were asking Rosalie what her and Emmett had been doing for the past week– besides sex, of course. We all heard enough about that on a regular basis anyways.

"...Emmett and I were in town the other day, and we saw an advertisement for skydiving... What do you guys think?" Rosalie asked, smiling hopefully at the group.

"I dunno if my stomach can handle that," Bella whispered, giving me a worried look.

"I've always wanted to skydive," Jasper said, a mischievous smile spreading across his face.

"Me, too!" Alice chirped.

I looked to Bella. The expression on her face didn't exactly read as excited, but she didn't look totally opposed to it, either. I knew that she wasn't the biggest fan of heights– maybe she could just come and watch. I had been wanting to go skydiving ever since I first saw someone do it on the Discovery Channel when I was a kid. It was just the kind of thrill that excited me, and I had heard that it was a life-changing experience.

"I'm in," I said, grinning at my friends. I turned to face Bella, who looked a little nervous. "Bella, you don't have to jump if you don't want to, but I bet they'll let you come in the plane with us," I added.

She let out a loud sigh of relief. "Alright, I'll come. But I am _not_ diving."

"That's completely fine." I squeezed her hand. She smiled up at me, and I pulled her from the lounge chair to her feet. "Let's go get dressed for dinner."

"The food is delicious," Emmett added enthusiastically as Rosalie jumped onto his back for a piggy-back ride.

"Good, because I'm starving," said Jasper, who was being yanked by the hand by Alice in the direction of the hotel. Our women really did have us all completely wrapped around their fingers.

We walked back up to our rooms on the top floor of one of the buildings and changed into some nicer clothes for dinner.

I was sitting on the bed, waiting for Bella to come out of the bathroom.

"Excited for tomorrow?" She asked, opening the door and walking over to me.

"Yeah, actually. I've always wanted to go skydiving." I pulled her down onto my lap, wrapping my arms around her waist.

"Edward, you've skydived before," she sighed, resting her head on my shoulder.

"Really? Maybe I'll have another flashback."

"Maybe," Bella whispered, pressing her lips to my neck.

"Bella."

"Hmm?" She lifted her head to look at me.

"I love you."

She smiled, running her hands down my back. "I love you, too."

I kissed her lightly on the forehead before standing up. "We should probably meet everyone in the lobby now."

Bella nodded in agreement, grabbing the room key and walking to the door. I followed quickly behind, taking hold of her hand. I felt like she needed to be comforted for some reason– hell, I needed to be comforted. I couldn't help but to feel bad about my situation. I was causing Bella all of this wasted pain– I could hear it in her voice, see it in her eyes. After knowing her for only two months, it was already obvious that she was a terrible liar; I always knew when something was wrong.

Once we met up with everyone in the lobby, we went to the restaurant for dinner. There were a ton of people there, and they were all tanned and appeared to be perfectly happy. I wish I could be perfectly happy and carefree– I came on this vacation hoping to escape, but so far it hasn't felt like much of anything.

We sat down at our table and looked over the menus, chatting excitedly about finally getting to eat some good Mexican food.

Most of dinner was spent listening to Emmett and Rosalie tell us about their week so far. Not only did they relax by the water, they had gone to see some Mayan ruins, swam with dolphins, and shopped around the little town. It all sounded so relaxing– exactly what I needed. Even if I couldn't escape, I was glad to not have any responsibilities this week. All six of us seriously deserved this break, and it was great to get to spend it together. I loved hanging out with my family any chance I got.

"So how are Carlisle and Esme?" Rosalie asked, taking a sip of her margarita.

"They're doing great– Carlisle took some time off of work to spend with Esme. She seems really healthy and confident about her treatment. Carlisle doesn't think she'll relapse any time soon," Bella said, giving my knee a quick squeeze.

"That's good to hear– I hate being away at times like this," Rose sighed.

We all nodded in agreement, and went back to finishing our dinner.

**BPOV**

After finishing dinner, we all decided to go watch whatever cheesy show the resort was putting on tonight. Jasper, Emmett, and Edward went to the bar to get our drinks, while Rose, Alice, and I found a group of seats in the large open-air theater. I was glad that the boys were gone for a few minutes, because there was something I needed my ladies for.

I turned to Alice and Rose. "You guys, I have to tell you something."

"What's up?" Chirped Alice.

I let out a big breath. "I'm late."

"Late for what?" Rosalie asked, confused.

I rolled my eyes at my daft friend. "Like, late."

Alice's eyes got wide. "You mean, late late? Like bun-in-the-oven late?

"Yep," I sighed, looking nervously from Alice to Rosalie.

"How long have you known?" Rose asked, eyeing my stomach.

"Only since we got here. I'm not one hundred percent sure, but it makes sense. I missed a pill a couple weeks ago."

"Does Edward know?" Alice looked at me wearily.

"Not yet."

"Well are you gonna tell him?"

"When I'm sure about...it. Yeah."

"You should get a pregnancy test."

I snorted. "Think they sell them at the gift shop?"

"Probably. They have everything else." Rosalie smiled knowingly at me. "So what are you gonna do?"

"God, I have no idea. I mean Edward still doesn't have his memory back– we're not even engaged. But I'm not opposed to it, either."

"Well, whatever you decide, we're here for you." Alice gave my hand a squeeze.

"I know, thanks." I smiled warmly at my two best friends, throwing them each a look when the guys joined us at the table.

"I got you a piña colada," Edward said, placing the fruity drink down on the table in front of me.

"Thanks, sweetie. But I think I'm just gonna stick to water for now."

He smiled and nodded at me, and Alice hastily snatched up my drink. "I'll have it– Jasper got me something nasty."

"Hey!" Jasper whined, making us all burst out in laughter.

Oh, how I loved this family. My family.

Once the tacky show was over, we went back up to our rooms to go to bed. Today had been a long, exhausting day. I had a ton to think about– the thought of being pregnant had never crossed my mind until today on the plane ride. I didn't know how to even begin telling Edward about it. He had so much to worry about right now, it didn't seem fair to add something so huge. And being pregnant was about the biggest thing I could think of.

The sight of the huge fluffy bed made me feel sleepy immediately. I didn't even bother to change into my pajamas before collapsing into the squishy pillows.

"Tired?" Edward chuckled, joining me under the covers.

"You have no idea," I sighed, curling up against his bare chest.

"This is gonna be a fun week," Edward whispered. I closed my eyes, and felt his lips press into my forehead.

I yawned. "Mhmm. Goodnight, Edward."

"Night, Bells."

This was going to be a very interesting week.

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**Well, there you have it. For those of you that guessed that Bella's preggers, good job! I tried to be a little subtle but not too subtle about it in the last chapter. **

**Only two more chapters, shit! I promise that they'll be the best two chapters this story has ever seen. This chapter was sort of just a filler, so you know. **

**Review, por favor! xoxoxo  
**


	17. The End's Not Near, It's Here

**A/N:**

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight, not me. I just like to make the characters do dirty things =]**

**ANYWAYS! Sorry about the long wait for this chapter, I've been really sick not to mention bad tendonitis in my wrist... So this is the FINAL chapter of the story (there will still be an epilogue, though).**

**I just wanted to thank everyone for reading this-- it was my first fan fiction ever, not to mention the first lengthy story i've ever written. i never thought of myself as much of a writer until this, and all of your fabulous reviews made me so happy throughout. So, thank you and I truly love you all! And you should (pleeease) read my other story, _Chuck Taylors and Record Players, _if you aren't already. I love it so SO much and hope you do too.**

**On with the chapter already, right? Right! Enjoyyyyyy =]**

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**EPOV**

After bitterly getting out of the huge fluffy bed and changing into our swimsuits for the day, Bella and I met everyone else at the restaurant for breakfast.

I barely got any sleep last night-- I couldn't shake the feeling that Bella wasn't telling me something. She just seemed sort of... skittish. I had no idea what it could possibly be about, but I knew it was _something_; like I said, Bella was a terrible liar. I just didn't understand why she would ever want to keep anything from me.

But I knew there was something. Bella never just closed herself off for no good reason. I had to know what her secret was.

We sat down at the wicker table overlooking the beach, joining the family for breakfast. Emmett already had a huge plate in front of him, piled high with pastries and breakfast meats. I shook my head to myself-- he was such a pig.

As soon as Bella and I sat down, Alice and Rosalie whisked Bella away towards the smoothie stand, not even pausing to give me a familial hello. I threw a questioning glance at Jasper, who just shrugged and took a sip of coffee. He looked exhausted, now that I saw his face. Exhausted and blissful.

"Long night?" I snorted, gesturing towards the coffee.

He grinned sheepishly, slumping down in his chair. "Let's just say that Alice had a lot of pent up energy last night..."

"Dude, nice," Emmett chuckled, fist pounding Jasper.

I simply shook my head at my immature brother and best friend, before turning to search for the girls. Something was definitely up. Bella, Alice, and Rose were huddled together in a corner, appearing to be deep in conversation. Maybe I was just paranoid, but it looked as though they were comforting Bella... I really needed to talk to her.

A couple minutes later, the ladies joined us back at the table without saying a word. I raised my eyebrows questioningly at Bella, but she just shook her head and took a bite of her fruit.

"So what time do you guys wanna go skydiving today?" Rosalie asked, pushing her sunglasses back onto her head.

"Let's hang out at the pool for awhile this morning– it's our first full day here," Alice said.

"How about we go after lunch?" Jasper suggested, taking Alice's hand on top of the table.

"Sounds good." Bella nodded in agreement, flashing me a smile from across the small table.

We finished our breakfast, then went out to the pool to claim our chairs. The girls immediately covered themselves with sun screen, laying down to soak up the sun rays. I couldn't really recall the last time we had any sun in Forks, so this was feeling like paradise about now.

Jasper, Emmett, and I went into the gigantic pool to swim a couple laps before settling back down next to the girls.

I pushed my arms through the cold water, loosening up my muscles; I was still feeling a little cramped from the plane ride yesterday, not to mention all the tossing and turning throughout the night. I kicked my legs quickly, propelling me forward through the icy blue pool– the physical therapy was finally paying off, and I pretty much had full use of my leg again.

Weightlessly swimming through the pool, I felt as thought anything was possible. I felt like I was starting to heal, starting to get my life back. Maybe I didn't have my entire memory back yet, but the bits and pieces, along with Bella and my family's guidance were really starting to pay off. I realized at that moment that I was done being an injured couch potato, and I was going to figure out my life as soon as we came home from Mexico. I was absolutely and utterly sick of feeling like an invalid. That part of my life was officially over.

I climbed out of the pool, hastily grabbing a towel and wrapping it around my shoulders before sitting down in a lounge chair next to Bella, who was reading a magazine and practically painted with sun screen. I snorted loudly, turning my body to face her.

"Can I help you?" She asked, raising an eyebrow at me skeptically.

"Sorry, it's just that– did you realize how much sun screen you were putting on?"

"I know, I look ridiculous. But it's better than blistering."

"Good point," I agreed, taking her magazine and setting it down on the ground.

"What are you doing?"

"Trying to spend some quality time with my girl... Is that too much to ask?" I purred, much too easily pulling her into my lap.

"I guess not," Bella breathed, running her warm hands down my bare chest.

I leaned in, catching her soft lips in my mouth. Bella kissed back hungrily, running her tongue across my upper lip. I parted my lips, groaning softly into her mouth. Bella was such a good kisser, I swear it should have been illegal. I slid my hands to the back of her neck, pulling her face closer to mine, when we were interrupted by the real world.

Alice cleared her throat loudly, causing each of us to startle and lean away from each other. Alice was staring at us incredulously, tapping her little foot on the ground.

"You two _do_ know you're in public, right?" She squeaked angrily. The thing was, Alice sounded ridiculous when she was annoyed. Her voice got all high pitched and her face would twist into the least-intimidating snarl I had ever seen.

Unable to control myself, I let a laugh escape my mouth. Alice whipped her head around to glare at me, causing me to laugh even harder. Before I knew it, Bella was laughing along with me, clutching her side and falling into me on the chair. She snorted, and tears began rolling down my cheeks in utter hilarity. We must have looked ridiculous to everyone else sitting around the pool– two loony Americans, laughing about who knows what.

When I would look up a Alice, who was just silently staring at us in disbelief, my laughter became even more uncontrollable, and eventually I fell off the chair onto the pool deck.

I looked up from the ground at Bella, whose face was bright red, and when I threw her a pointed glare, she stopped laughing. I stood up, swiping the loose gravel from my swim trunks and joining Bella back on my chair. I rolled my eyes at her when she covered her mouth, miserably attempting to stifle her laughter.

I pushed lightly against her side, pressing my lips to her shoulder. I could listen to her laugh for the rest of my life and never get sick of it.

**BPOV**

After my breathing returned to normal, I took a quick dip in the pool to cool off before resuming my tanning position. I wanted to soak up as much sun as possible before returning home– this warmth wouldn't last long.

After another couple hours of lounging by the pool, we grabbed a quick lunch before heading out of the resort to the skydiving site.

My stomach was twisted into knots the entire car ride out to the remote location along the beach. I obviously wasn't nervous for myself, but for the family. Skydiving was dangerous, right? Jumping from an airplane– it was crazy, in my opinion. But it was something they all wanted to do, so I sat there silently like the reasonable girlfriend I was as Edward strapped himself into a harness.

Occasionally he would give me an encouraging glance, but it wasn't helping my nerves. If anything happened... Well, there were no words. I needed the Cullens, and I _really_ needed Edward. Especially now. I almost worked up the nerve to blurt out that I was pregnant, in a lame attempt to get him to not dive, but that was selfish. He could enjoy himself, as dangerous as I believed this particular activity to be.

The diving instructors continued to tell me reassuring stories, passing sideways glances at each other when they thought I wasn't looking. I knew they were right; for the most part, this was safe. I really didn't have anything to worry about. But the fact that I could easily lose Edward was not something I could take lightly. Especially not after the accident. It could be worse. We wouldn't always be so lucky.

Once everyone was dressed in their uniforms and protective gear, we got into the tiny plane. Now, I wasn't usually afraid of flying, but this little airplane looked more like a car with wings– it was minuscule, and not exactly under my definition of secure. It looked as though it would fall apart as soon as the engine started.

The plane roared to life, and I tightly grabbed Edward's hand for console. Now I was beginning to fear for my own life.

"Bella."

"Huh?" I turned to face Edward, who was staring into my eyes fiercely.

"Breathe," he soothed, rubbing his thumb against the back of my hand.

I exhaled loudly and he shook his head minutely, flashing me a small smile. "I'm nervous," I sighed.

"Don't be. Besides, apparently I've done this before." Edward nudged me with his shoulder, trying to get me to crack a smile. He succeeded.

"I guess you're right," I breathed, leaning my head on his shoulder. "I just don't even want to imagine what would happen if–."

"Then don't." He cut me off, moving his hand from my own to wrap his arm around my waist.

Alice moved from her own seat to my side, taking the hand that wasn't clutching to Edward's side for dear life. "He's right, Bella. Everything will be fine." She gave me an encouraging smile before hopping up and returning to Jasper's lap. I didn't know how anyone could be so carefree before they were about to jump out of a plane.

I swept my eyes across the tiny plane, stopping to roll my eyes at Rose and Emmett, who were currently in a somewhat compromising position. Again, I didn't understand how you could concentrate on sucking face, minutes prior to skydiving.

Newlyweds.

We began climbing further into the sky, and when I finally built up enough courage to look out the window, we were nearly in the clouds and the ground below was just a huge grid of land and ocean.

To my dismay, about five minutes later we leveled off and the diving instructors stood up to put on their harnesses. One of them, a balding middle-aged man with a thick Mexican accent, turned to our group.

"Who wants to go first?" He asked, sweeping his eyes from one of us to the next.

"I will!" Emmett exclaimed, standing up and tightening his harness.

"Muy bien." The man looked at another one of his instructors, jerking his chin in the direction of the door. Crap, they were going to open the plane. This was actually happening.

The instructor, whose name I now remembered to be Javier, motioned for Emmett to join him by the door, and they both secured their helmets before hooking their harnesses together.

"See you on land!" Emmett yelled, smiling at all of us before rocking out of the plane into the vast blue sky.

We all moved to look out the window, watching Emmett and Javier become smaller and smaller as they fell towards the ground. Once they were clear of the plane, we could see their huge parachute open and allow them to float safely to land. I sighed in relief, happy to see the first jump go off without a hitch.

I sat back with Edward as Rosalie, Jasper, and Alice each made their jump. Finally, it was Edward's turn. I begrudgingly let go of his hand and gave him one last kiss before he joined his instructor by the door.

"Wait for me at the bottom," I yelled over the roar of the wind and the engine.

"Of course!" He shouted back, before signaling to his instructor that he was ready. My hands clutched around my seat as they rolled out of the plane, falling towards the ground.

I kept my eyes glued to the spot in the air that was Edward until I could see their parachute expand, and allowed myself to relax.

"Don't worry, he's completely safe," the final instructor, Pablo, said, startling me out of my thoughts.

I smiled weakly up at the young man, forcing myself to tear away from the window. Watching was making me completely neurotic, and I couldn't afford the added stress at this point.

After a couple more minutes of circling in the air, we descended towards the ground. Relief swelled in my chest when we were finally safe to the ground, and I quickly made my way out of the rickety airplane.

I spotted the group a few yards away, and was for some reason elated to see Edward sprinting towards me, a huge smile on his face. He was safe. Everyone was safe. I grinned back at him, quickening my pace to meet him.

"Bella!" He shouted, wrapping his arms around me tightly.

He pulled away, placing his hands on my hips. "Bella," he sighed, unable to catch his breath. I looked into his eyes, and at that moment, I just knew. I knew, without a doubt, exactly what he was about to tell me.

**EPOV**

I looked into Bella's eyes, my fingertips pressing into her hips. I was barely able to speak the words– we had been waiting for this moment for the past two months. It seemed absolutely surreal, standing here, in Mexico, with the love of my life, and everything coming into perspective.

"Edward?" Bella urged, a huge smile spreading across her face. She knew. She could tell.

Tears started running down her face, and I just lost it. I pulled her fiercely against my body, blinking the blurry tears from my own eyes. I sobbed into her hair, not bothering to care about how we would look after this.

This was perfect.

"You remember," Bella choked into my neck, tightening her arms around my waist.

I sighed, nodding my head. "I remember."

The next words out of Bella's mouth were so quiet, so muffled, I didn't even know if I heard her correctly. "I'm pregnant."

I pulled away slightly to look at her face, using my hands to wipe the tears from her cheeks. "What?"

Bella smiled, allowing more tears to escape her eyes. "I'm pregnant, Edward!"

I could barely process a single though going through my brain, so I pulled Bella's body as close to mine as possible and whispered into her ear. "I love you."

"I love you too," she choked out, before turning her face to press her mouth against mine. At the touch, memories of our entire life together flashed through my mind. I knew it all. I remembered everything. Every date, every kiss, every touch. I remembered the day of the accident. I had been so excited. To propose. To make Bella my wife.

Finally.

It was all coming together.

We finally broke away from our kiss to breath as my family joined us in the middle of the field, all with big smiles on their faces.

I was bombarded with question after question; they wanted to know what happened, they wanted to know exactly when it happened. I wasn't used to all of the thoughts swirling around in my brain. There was too much to comprehend. All I knew was that as soon as I jumped out of that plane, everything came rushing back. The last nine years of my life. My life with Bella. High school. College. My career. Esme's cancer. Jasper and Alice's wedding. Everything I had been searching for was finally within my grasp. I wasn't hopeless anymore.

I knew all of it.

I kept my arm wrapped firmly around Bella's waist all the way back to the resort, refusing to ever leave her side again, if I could help it.

**BPOV**

The entire drive back to our resort, Edward and I couldn't keep our hands off each other. When we thought no one was looking, Edward would sneak a kiss anywhere his mouth could reach. I wish I knew what was going through his mind right now– I couldn't even begin to fathom what it must feel like to suddenly remember everything after having Amnesia for nearly two months. He must feel completely overwhelmed.

Every time we would glimpse at each other, I just couldn't stop a huge grin from spreading across my face. I think it was permanent at this point; my Edward was back. That was all that mattered. Our life could continue on as usual. He could go back to work. We could finally, hopefully, get engaged.

I could have this baby.

A shiver went down my spine at the thought, and Edward cocked his eyebrow at me. I just shrugged, giving his hand a squeeze. We could discuss all of this later– we had all of the time in the world. For now, I really just needed to be with Edward.

We finally got back to the resort and hopped out of the stuffy van.

"You guys wanna meet for dinner in a couple hours?" Alice asked the group, sliding her sunglasses off her face.

"Actually, I think Bella and I are going to skip out on the family dinner tonight, if that's okay." Edward turned and winked at me, wrapping his arm around my waist.

"These walls aren't very thick, you know," Emmett smirked, lightly punching Edward on his arm.

"Ha, ha. Funny." Edward punched him back.

"Alright, well, we'll see you two tomorrow?" Alice asked, grinning at the two of us.

"See you tomorrow," Edward agreed, moving his hand to the small of my back.

"Bye, guys," I waved, eagerly backing away from the group with Edward, in the direction of the elevator.

The second we were in our room with the door closed, the sexual electricity bouncing back and forth between us was unbearable. We hastily made our way into the bedroom, and I gasped when Edward pushed my body up against the closed door.

I could feel my pulse speed up, my breath catching at the back of my throat. This was different. This was the real Edward– no apprehension, no nerves, no holding back.

I tried to lean forward to press my lips into his mouth, but his face quickly darted mine, a smug look in his intense green eyes. His mouth curled up into my favorite crooked smile as he pressed his hips into mine, causing the hairs on the back of my neck to stand up.

"Edward," I groaned quietly, annoyed at him for teasing me relentlessly, the pressure between my legs becoming unbearable.

He leaned forward, burying his face in my hair. "I want to make this last," he whispered, his cool breath blowing against my ear.

I took a deep breath, attempting to steady my speeding heart rate. Edward chuckled quietly– that smug bastard.

Finally, his lips brushed lightly against mine, and my lips parted when he slowly traced them with the tip of his tongue. Edward ran his tongue along my bottom lip, sucking it into his mouth. My hands went to his hair, tugging and pulling roughly, desperately trying to speed things up.

Edward wasn't having any of that. He laughed softly against my lips before his tongue slowly made its way into my mouth, eliciting a small moan from my lips. His hands went to my hips, steadying them between himself and the door. I pulled his neck closer, deepening the kiss as Edward's hips shifted against mine, increasing the building pressure in my lower stomach.

"Too slow," I breathed into his mouth, using all of my force to push us off the door and over to the bed in the middle of the room. We fell back onto the fluffy white comforters, Edward's arms bracing my body against the fall.

Without removing my lips from his mouth, I swung my legs around Edward's body to straddle his lap, making sure to "accidentally" grind my hips into his. He groaned into my mouth, causing a smile to spread across my face.

I ran my hands slowly down his chest to the hem of his t-shirt before grabbing it and pulling it over his head, revealing the most perfect set of abs I had ever laid eyes on– and the faint beginnings of a tan didn't hurt, either. I leaned over to press my lips against his smooth skin, his chest heaving up and down with labored breaths against my mouth. I kissed my way back up to his mouth as his hands found their way to the string at the back of my neck from my halter dress. I felt him tug on it slightly before it slipped down my torso, revealing my bikini top. Edward reached for the bottom hem of the dress, wasting no time to pull it over my head and throw it to the floor.

My lips returned to his mouth and my hands wandered down his torso to the elastic band of his basketball shorts, hastily pushing them down his legs. I looked up and smirked at Edward when I noticed his obvious erection straining against his boxer briefs. He simply rolled his eyes at me, pulling me back up his body to eye level and returning his mouth to my own. Edward flipped us over in one quick motion so he was now hovering over me.

His hands immediately went to the tie at the back of my bikini top, expertly undoing it and tossing the flimsy fabric onto the growing pile of clothing on the floor. Edward's hands slowly made their way to my breasts, massaging and squeezing exactly the way I liked it. It was good to have the old Edward back.

To my surprise, Edward kissed his way down to my breasts, lightly flicking his tongue across my nipples and softly biting them with his teeth. My hands grabbed at his hair, trying to hold off on the overwhelming urge to scream. My body writhed under his as his mouth ravished one breast and his hand massaged the other.

The electric current was unbearable.

I just wanted to feel him inside me, already.

I hadn't felt this kind of pleasure in months– I didn't think I could wait any longer.

"Edward," I moaned, urging him on.

He crawled back up my body, his lips crushing into mine as his hands went for the convenient ties on the sides of my bikini bottom. He untied them in one swift motion, the fabric falling to the floor.

Finally, it was my turn. I hastily pushed his boxer-briefs down his legs, and he momentarily moved away to kick them off his body, so we were free of all restraints. He kissed my mouth deeply one more time before he sank into me, his hips pushing roughly against mine.

I dug my fingernails into his back, basking in the friction between our legs. Edward slowly increased the intensity and speed of our movements, sending electric currents racing through my veins every time he murmured my name into my ear.

I continued to roughly push my hips against Edward, desperate for my release. The building pressure was intense and perfect, intolerable and blissful. Exactly what the both of us needed.

I wanted to make this last, to savor it, but at the same time, I wouldn't last much longer at the rate we were going at. I pushed my hips hungrily against Edward, smiling smugly when he loudly moaned out my name. His hands were everywhere at once, massaging and pressing and grabbing, as his lips ravished my neck.

Edward shoved his hips into me one last time, both of us climaxing simultaneously. Electricity and bliss and perfection and love shot through my body as I relaxed onto the bed, Edward's body collapsing on top of me.

I laid completely still, riding out the euphoric waves pulsing through my body as our breathing returned to normal. Edward rolled off of me to my side, wrapping his arms tightly around my waist. I reached my hand up to his sweaty forehead, pushing his damp hair away from his eyes. He leaned forward and pressed his lips against my forehead, sighing heavily into my skin.

I relaxed in his arms, letting my head rest against his perfect chest. Neither of us spoke or moved until an hour later, when my stomach grumbled loudly.

Edward chuckled softly into my hair, giving my body one last tight squeeze before removing his arms from around my waist and rolling off the bed. I watched him as he walked over to his suitcase and pulled out a clean pair of boxers, slipping them on. He turned back to face me, raising his eyebrows expectantly. I sat up reluctantly, giving him my best pout.

When his eyes didn't move from my chest, I suddenly realized that I was still stark-naked. I felt color rushing to my cheeks as I reached for the sheets, hastily pulling them over my body.

Edward rolled his eyes. "Nothing I haven't seen before."

I shrugged, wrapping the sheet around my body as I stood up from the bed. "I'm starving," I sighed, walking over to Edward to slip my arms around his waist.

"I was thinking we could go to one of the fancy restaurants tonight, if that's okay with you," Edward said, pulling away slightly to look me in the eye.

"Sure, just let me take a quick shower and get dressed." I unwrapped my arms from his body, reaching up to place one more chaste kiss on his lips before going into the bathroom to shower.

Once I was cleaned up and dried off, I slipped into one of the nicer dresses Alice had forced me to pack, doing a little twirl in the mirror. The royal blue silk fabric clung perfectly to my body, skimming down in all the right places. Feeling bold, I slid my feet into a pair of strappy heels before walking into the livingroom area to meet Edward.

He was pacing back and forth in front of the couch.

"You're making me nervous," I joked, eyeing his dress shirt and pants appreciatively.

He stopped in his tracks, coming over and pulling me into a tight hug. "I love you," he sighed. I melted a little into his arms as I felt his lips press against the top of my head.

"I love you, too." I smiled up at him, completely and utterly happy for the first time in months. He grinned his crooked smile back at me, making me lose my breath as usual.

"Ready?" He asked, pulling away.

I nodded, taking his hand in my own and walking towards the door.

We went to the Japanese restaurant that was right beside the ocean, and were seated in a small booth in the corner of the posh little room. The sun was just setting along the horizon, and the dimmed lighting in the restaurant created the perfect romantic atmosphere.

As we read over our menus, I was unable to keep myself from staring at Edward's beautiful, perfect face. It was hard to believe that just this morning, he still couldn't remember the past nine years of his life. It seemed as though the last two months were just swept away as if they had never happened; but I knew better than to think that. This was still something we were going to remember for the rest of our lives.

But at the moment, none of that mattered. All that mattered was that Edward was here, and our lives could go back to normal. With the exception of me being pregnant, of course.

I smiled to myself at the thought, for the first time really allowing it to sink in. Edward and I were going to have a baby.

"Bella?" Edward's velvety voice brought me out of my thoughts.

"Hmm?" I focused my eyes on his smiling face, causing my own mouth to turn up in a huge grin.

"What are you thinking about?"

"You... Us."

He nodded. "Me, too."

Once our food arrived, we lapsed into comfortable conversation about the rest of our week in Mexico. There was still so much to do, so much to see before we would have to return to the real world. Edward was elated about going back to work, although I had to admit I was a little sad that he wouldn't be home all the time any more. I still had almost three months left of summer vacation before I had to return to work. Edward promised to cut back on a few hours– he knew how much I missed him during those long night shifts at the hospital.

We lingered in the restaurant for awhile after finishing our dessert, talking about nothing in particular. It honestly didn't matter what we talked about– as long as Edward was there, nothing else mattered.

Edward was quiet on the way back up to our room, and I noticed that he was continuously running his fingers through his disheveled bronze hair. He was nervous. While in the elevator, I turned to him and studied his face. He gave me a warm smile, but not much else. I raised my eyebrows at him questioningly, but he just pulled me against his side and kissed the top of my head.

We finally reached our room, and I noticed Edward's hand hesitating on the doorknob. What was going on? He was acting so... cryptic.

After a noticeably big breath from him, he swung open the door and watched me as I took in the scene before me.

There were red rose petals thrown all over the suite– the floor, the tables, the couches, everywhere. The lights were off, but there were hundreds of small candles lighting up the room. I smiled at Edward, pulling him through the doorway.

"Did you do this?" I asked, lifting a rose petal from the end table by the door. When I turned to face Edward, I was put completely off guard. I should have guessed this was happening, but it was a huge surprise.

I gasped when I noticed Edward down on one knee, taking my hand in his. The look on his face conveyed all of the love in the world– I nearly melted on the spot.

"Bella?"

"Yes?" I squeaked out, fighting back the tears welling up in my eyes.

"Breathe," he whispered, his eyes penetrating deep into my own. I wasn't sure if that statement was meant for me or him, but either way I let out a huge breath.

"So this isn't exactly how I had planned for this two months ago, but I can't wait any longer. Bella, my life was never complete until you entered it. You _are_ my life now. The last two months just proves that we can get through anything, and I know we will. Forever."

Edward paused, mulling over his next words. Tears were rolling down my face uncontrollably; this was perfect.

He continued, "I honestly can't remember the rest of my speech, and I apologize for not having your ring with me, but Isabella Swan, I promise to never forget you again. I love you so much, and can't stand the thought of us not being together. Will you marry me?"

I immediately threw myself at Edward, flinging my arms around his neck and placing kisses everywhere I could reach. I had been waiting for this moment forever. It didn't matter that he didn't have the ring, or anything. I just wanted to be with Edward.

"Is that a yes?" He chuckled, a huge triumphant smile on his gorgeous face.

"YES!" I choked out, crashing my lips into his mouth.

In one swift motion, Edward picked me up and carried me to the bedroom, both of us collapsing onto the bed, to continue where we had left off.

To continue our life.

Together.

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**Awwww. Haha okay so again, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING you all have thoroughly rocked my socks with the fabulous reviews. **

**And don't worry, there is still an epilogue. I have a question for you all, though. Would you rather read the epilogue in Bella's or Edward's POV? I was thinking I would just do one or the other, but I'm not sure which one. So YOU tell ME! =] Or I could do both, just tell me who you wanna hear for it. Capiche?**

**As always, reviews make me SUPER happy! =]**

**Love, fluv, Kathryn  
**


	18. Epilogue

**A/N:**

**HOKAY! So! Here's the epilogue. I guess I don't really have much to say, besides thanking you all profusely for reading my stories and writing all of those amazing reviews. You for real rock my socks off. All of you.**

**Without further ado, enjoy! =]**

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**EPOV**

**2 Months Later...**

My breath caught in my throat when I saw Bella finally walking down the immense staircase in my parent's house. She was absolutely glowing. I supposed pregnancy did that to a woman, but this was different. She was radiant and beautiful and amazing and perfect. And minutes away from being my wife.

The soft violins seemed to be floating Bella towards me, her steps soft but certain. Her dress was white and flowing down her curvy body like a waterfall. People were obviously telling the truth when they said that pregnant women were ultra sexy; she could wear anything and look like a goddess, as far as I was concerned.

I swept my eyes from Bella's body up to her face when she finally reached the bottom of the stairs, flashing her favorite crooked grin when we made eye contact. It felt as though years were flying by as she made her way down the aisle, and I chuckled when I noticed Bella blushing at all of the attention she was currently receiving. Leave it to Bella to truly be a blushing bride.

The small group of our close friends and family were gazing in awe at the beautiful woman before them, and I couldn't help but to feel a swell of pride in my chest. She was mine, and we were finally going to make it official. And more importantly, I was hers.

The last two months of our lives had been crazy– as soon as we came home from Mexico, I went back to work at the hospital and Bella, Alice, Esme, and Rose got to work on our wedding. Bella didn't want to wait until after having the baby to get married, and she refused to do so once she became gigantic and had to resort to waddling around. Therefore, we planned the entire wedding in two months.

It wasn't so difficult, seeing as we wanted to keep it small and intimate anyways, but I was so busy with work and baby-proofing our apartment with Jasper and Emmett, that I barely got to help out with wedding plans at all. Luckily, Bella had the help of Alice, Rosalie, and Esme, and everything went off without a hitch.

It made me happy to see Bella relaxed and carefree for once, but I couldn't say the same for myself. Work was hectic as ever, especially after my two-month hiatus. I found that I had to study up on a couple of the more complicated procedures I was used to doing, but besides that, work wasn't difficult. The hours, on the other hand, were. I couldn't even remember the last time I got more than five hours of sleep. It was probably in Mexico.

The chief of medicine at the hospital had thought that it would be a good idea to just throw me back into my crazy work schedule, but that proved to be rather strenuous. I couldn't fathom how it was ever possible that I could take on that amount of work before the accident, and after a month of awful stress, I put my foot down. After much bribing and discussion, I was able to cut my hours by half. After all, I had a family to look after now.

Not only was it hard on my own self, I felt terrible about leaving Bella so often. To this day, I'm still apologizing profusely for the ridiculous amount of work I have done the past few years– she shouldn't ever have to be alone so much. I was grateful to my family for spending time with her, but that just wasn't going to cut it anymore. It was time that I stepped up to the plate and became a responsible husband. And soon-to-be father.

Every time I thought about being a father, a huge grin spread across my face. It was odd, because I had never given parenthood much thought before, but now that it was happening, there was nothing more important or amazing in my life. Besides Bella, of course. Soon we would find out the sex of the baby, and I couldn't help but to wish for a girl. I knew it would make Bella happy; I could just imagine her with a mini version of herself, rolling her eyes when Alice insisted on dressing the child in designer clothing.

In the last month, while the women planned out the wedding, the men in the family helped me begin the process of baby-proofing our apartment. We converted a storage room into a nursery, and began the difficult task of removing everything dangerous from the apartment, especially in the kitchen. We probably went a little overboard, but it was better to be safe than sorry. And there was no way I would ever let anything happen to our baby.

Besides getting used to the idea of fatherhood and going back to work, the two months following my recovery have been fairly easy. When I got my memory back, it was almost as though I had never lost it in the first place. I could remember my entire life, including the two months of Amnesia. Those two months had just been... an odd blip in my life. I couldn't describe it if someone asked me to.

The worst part of those two months definitely had to be not knowing Bella. When we were first introduced, and I was told that she was my girlfriend, I was absolutely blown away. First of all, how could someone so gorgeous ever end up with me? Second of all, I was shocked that I couldn't remember someone so important in my life. I still feel horrible for putting Bella through that– it had to have been torture. I was now committed to being the best husband she could ever ask for, because hell, she deserved it. Bella had been amazing those two months– teaching me about my life, being patient with me, everything. She is definitely the most wonderful woman in the world. No one can argue with me on that.

***

Bella smiled at me as she walked down the aisle with Charlie at her side, and I gave her a returning wink. Best day of my life, hands down.

Finally, after what felt like years, she stopped in front of me, and kissed Charlie on the cheek who handed her off to my waiting arms. I took her hand, squeezing it tightly, and we turned to face Emmett, who for some reason insisted on marrying us. Without anyone in the family knowing, two years ago he had gotten certified to marry people off. We were in no way a religious family, so we figured it was the best choice.

He began speaking, and I completely drowned all of it out. The second I looked into Bella's endless brown eyes, I was lost to the ceremony. Only when we were asked to give our vows did I snap out of my Bella-induced daze. I spoke first, attempting to explain how much I loved her.

I somehow managed to get through my vows without tearing up, but Bella had tears running down her face, smudging her makeup. She would definitely be hearing from Alice later.

Once I finished my vows, I gave Bella's hands a quick squeeze, smiling warmly with all of the love I could muster. My vows may not have been very eloquent, but how could I be eloquent in the presence of someone as amazing as Bella? She nearly rendered me speechless.

After momentarily collecting herself, she spoke her vows, her sparkling eyes glued to my own the entire time.

"Edward, I honestly can't put to words how much you mean to me. You are my everything– my life. We both know that the last few months have been hectic, but it just goes to show that we can get through anything and everything that life throws our way. I promise to be the best wife I can be, and to love you forever. You truly do mean the world to me, and I can't begin to explain how much I love you. Just know that I will always be yours. Forever."

I brought her hand up to my mouth and gently kissed it before turning back towards Emmett. This was finally it, after all this time.

"I now pronounce you man and wife," Emmett boomed, grinning at the two of us. "Edward, you may kiss your bride."

Without another thought, I pulled Bella against my chest and eagerly pressed my mouth to her perfect lips. I didn't think I could ask for anything better at that moment.

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**=] =] =]**

**It's bittersweet to be done with this story, but I have to say that it feels good to finish it. I wasn't sure if I would for awhile there, as you all know. Thank you all so so SO much for putting up with my hiatus bullshit. **

**And now I'm really excited because I can devote all of my writing energy to _Chuck Taylors... _Which just makes me really happy.**

**And for the last time, reviews are always welcome! =]**

**Love fluv, Kathryn xoxo  
**


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